All Aboard
by crazykiss
Summary: A mate, something that he didn't deserve, that he wouldnt allow himself to have. But destiny had other plans and now they are stuck together with no way to avoid the attraction... Inu/Kag Mir/San
1. Chapter 1

+Chapter 1+

She couldn't believe her eyes.

Her hands shook as she clutched the steering wheel of her year 2000 black Toyota Camry. Her breath came out in heavy pants because her lungs didn't seem to be able to hold the adequate amount of oxygen needed to sustain her. Her heart sped with a ferocity that she —with her medical degree— would recognize as dangerous if she wasn't so terrified by the scene before her.

Kagome would've never imagined that this… _this_ was what her boyfriend was up to. Her mind reeled with all the signs she mistook as his infidelity: the calls in the middle of night as he lay beside her on her bed speaking in hushed whispers thinking she was asleep, and then leaving before the sun rose with a gentle kiss to her forehead. His random day-long absences which he explained with some lame ass excuse that she always forgave, because her heart wouldn't allow her not to.

Everything, all of it, it made sense now. What she was witnessing, it wasn't him cheating. It was far worse than that.

Her car remained perfectly out of sight behind a tall black storage shed behind the dock where _her_ Kouga was holding a black Glock handgun under an unfazed silver haired man's chin. The man was kept restrained by two of Kouga's associates who she remembered being introduced to a year ago.

_Hakkaku…Ginta_. She knew them and felt oddly betrayed. They knew the whole time about this dangerous side of Kouga. They, the ones who would rush to reassure her whenever she had her doubts about their relationship and stepping in when Kouga was `out of town', were _helping_ him. She had formed a sibling-like bond with them, and they would even call her _big sister_ on occasion.

She watched in horror as Kouga let out a tremendous laugh, the kind that made you throw your head back in amusement.

He was laughing when he was about to take a man's life. He laughed as if they were watching Saturday Night Live snuggled up on her couch, and not as if he was about to kill someone in cold blood.

She let out a choked whimper and for one heart stopping moment the silver haired man's eyes flicked and looked right at her. His eyes widened in what looked like fear, but not for himself, for her.

Her mind told her to duck and hide, but she sat in shocked paralysis. His eyes, an intense golden fire that made her feel things for this beautiful stranger, and want him to do whatever it took to be safe from her boyfriend.

Too soon, he brought his attention back to Kouga and his body language finally turned defensive as if he was just realizing the danger he was in.

Kagome sat up a little straighter in apprehension when Kouga slowly trailed the tip of the gun across the man's face with a smile as if taunting him and her stomach dropped when Kouga took a few steps back and cocked the gun, aiming directly at golden eyes' head.

She couldn't let this happen. She was scared for this man's life, which was a normal reaction, but she was also deeply troubled by the thought of him being gone off the face of the planet. She couldn't explain, nor did she have time to ponder it. She had to save him, somehow.

Kouga's finger went to the trigger, and as he pressed down slowly, Kagome could've sworn her heart stopped. In a frenzy of nerves and fear, she slammed a hard fist on the steering wheel, honking the horn with all her might.

Inuyasha glared at the piece of shit who ordered for his kidnapping.

They fucking found him; he couldn't _believe_ he had allowed it to happen. He had been walking through the busy streets of Tokyo; easily blending in to stock up on supplies. He hadn't been able to detect the specific scents as there were so many people, but when he had it was too late.

They had run into him and forced him into an alley. Of course it was by no means an easy victory for the two _ookami_ but they had eventually knocked him unconscious with some smoke bombs that dulled all his senses before they threw him into a van.

They drove, only stopping once to pick up their leader and Inuyasha instantly recognized the stench as Kouga's.

Now, here they were.

"Naraku will be most pleased when I bring him your head on a silver platter, Inuyasha, and tell him all the details of how I dumped the rest of you into this very sea."

He didn't respond, only wondering where the fuck his friends were.

"Tell me something, Inuyasha. Why did you leave?" Inuyasha only gave him a bored look.

"Answer me, dog turd." Kouga seethed between clenched teeth. When he got no answer he continued, "You were the fucking pride of Kyoudai. You were Naraku's right hand but you left without a fucking word."

Kouga suddenly laughed, and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him.

"You are one stupid son of a bitch, you know that right?" he asked.

Inuyasha would have continued to ignore him, but he heard a whimper, a feminine whimper and he immediately sought it out. Someone else, a woman, was here. His eyes connected with her beautiful blues and he could see all of her obvious fear. She was terrified, and suddenly, so was he. And extremely angry.

What the fuck was this girl doing here? Didn't the bitch know how fucking dangerous this was.

Thankfully, the stupid wolves obviously didn't hear her, and Inuyasha forced himself to look back at Kouga who was still going on so as not to reveal her hiding space.

"… bounty of $500,000." He heard Kouga say.

Whatever, he already knew how much Naraku was willing to pay for his death. All he was really focused on was that girl whose beautiful face had no business there. Kouga took another step closer, further invading his personal space, so that he could trail the gun over his face.

"You should consider it an honor, hanyou, to be considered worth so much."

Inuyasha growled lowly, hating how the smell of the bastard increased ten-fold when he advanced, making him want to sneeze.

Kouga grinned, before stepping back, much to his relief. "This is where we say good-bye, Inuyasha. Save me a seat in hell."

And Kouga cocked the gun, aiming at his forehead.

Inuyasha braced himself, preparing to throw the two that were "restraining" him in front of him to use as a shield. He had no doubt that he had the speed and power to do it. Then he would proceed to beat the shit out of Kouga, and get to the girl to reassure her somehow and make sure she got home safely. Then he would leave to find his boat where his two friends must be wondering where the hell he was.

Unfortunately, none of that was able to happen because the bitch honked her horn, startling all of them.

Kouga hadn't released the trigger but he did look back at the sound. Inuyasha used the distraction to kick the gun out of the wolves hand, sending the bullet flying somewhere out into the ocean behind them, and the gun fell with an audible thud on the wooden planks.

The girl was still honking, and he looked to see her face shocked, but her eyes determined as she kept a little cement fist on the wheel.

Inuyasha toughened his arms and wretched them free, and almost simultaneously punched the two youkai in the faces, knocking them out in the single blow.

Kouga's eyes were enlarged in fury and he growled as he lunged at him, claws poised to strike. Inuyasha side-stepped it at the last minute and grabbed the wolf by the arm, before using his elbow to knock him hard in the face. Inuyasha then raised his claws and gave Kouga four deep gashes that ripped through his clothes and tore at his flesh. Finally, he crouched low and swept Kouga's legs out from under him with a swift kick.

The youkai landed hard on his face, and Inuyasha kicked him in the side to make sure the wolf was down for a good amount of time.

In the distance of the blackness of the sea, Inuyasha could see the familiar small yacht he and his friends arrived on and was relieved that it wasn't too far away, only a couple of docks down the coast line.

First things first though, and Inuyasha leapt over Kouga's prone body to get to that girl. He saw her get out of the car to meet him half-way and she was trembling, her eyes sparkling with tears.

He grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her to get her to focus on him because her eyes were wandering in a panicked daze.

"What the fuck are you doing here, idiot?!" He growled at her.

"I…I… Kouga…he's" she stuttered panicked, and a tear streaked down her face. He unconsciously brought his hand up and wiped it away with a thumb.

She looked at him shocked, and he immediately dropped both his hands.

Gods, she was beautiful. Her wavy black hair flowed past her shoulders in a waterfall of lusciousness. Her eyes were wide and bright blue, like cerulean. Her nose was like a cute little button in the center of her face, and her lips were full and pink like bubblegum and he desperately wanted a taste. And her scent… wait—What the fuck was with her scent!

It was subtle, but he detected it. Seeping from the pores on her skin was the stinking ookami's stench! Inuyasha could still smell her real scent though, and it was intoxicating. It made him lightheaded to think of how it would smell without the wolf's pollution.

But he had to take step back from her, she could be with them. Her jumbled words finally registered to him and he realized that she had said his name. Why the hell would such a striking creature such as her know that flea bag?

"Oh my god, Kouga!" she yelled, and Inuyasha turned to see the wolf hold the gun with a shaky hand, though he still lie on the ground.

_Damn,_ he cursed his own stupidity for not taking the gun when he had the chance. Swearing to never kill again had really taken away some of his common sense.

He took a protective stand in front of the trembling girl, but she pushed his arm aside abruptly.

"Kouga, don't!" she cried.

Kouga's eyes opened wide in shock when he heard the voice, but he still held up the gun. Inuyasha wasn't too worried. He was almost positive that Kouga wouldn't be able to land a good shot with how hard his hand was shaking. He smirked; he must have fucked the wolf up pretty bad.

But his smirk instantly turned into a grim line when Kouga re-aimed at the dozens of barrels of gasoline used for the boats that were stacked up against the shack.

Inuyasha immediately whirled around and swooped the girl into his protective arms as the barrels exploded around them, sending them both hurling into the water.

He held on tight to her, keeping her tucked against his chest, waiting as one explosion triggered another and then another, until there was just a large fire left. He resurfaced moments later with a huge breath relishing the return of oxygen to his lungs.

He was only half-surprised to find her unconscious in his arms, but he quickly brought his ear to her open mouth and was relieved when he heard her faint breathing. He took a quick look back and saw that Kouga had been knocked out by the blast too, but his friends were up and rushing to his side, not even noticing the two of them.

Inuyasha did a fast internal debate as to whether or not he should leave her on the dock with Kouga's two lackey's and make a hasty retreat, or take her with him. The latter option won out and it wasn't just because of his irrational desire to know who this beauty was, but Kouga had risked her life.

The two obviously knew each other and by the way she smelled of him, it was obviously on a level higher than friendship. That, however, didn't stop the wimpy wolf from nearly blowing her to pieces in his desire for the esteem of killing _the_ runaway assassin, Inuyasha Tokaido and the $500,000 bounty money.

Decision made, Inuyasha kept her head above the water and swam away with one arm in the direction of the yacht.

Miroku drove their silver Honda Civic 2006 onto the yacht slowly, and got out to wrap his arms around his fiancé who was looking out at the black sea sadly.

"So he hasn't come yet?"

She sighed, "Nope, so I guess you didn't find him."

"No."

"I'm worried Miroku. Do you think they could've gotten to him?"

"I highly doubt it. Inuyasha is just taking his sweet time like he always does." He said, trying to sound reassuring though he was worried himself.

"No, he wouldn't take this long. Something must be wrong." She turned to face him. "We were supposed to be heading out by now, and nobody wants out of Tokyo more than he does."

"Sango, love, this is Inuyasha we're talking about. He definitely won't be done in by Naraku's goons in Tokyo."

"This is Kouga's territory though; he's got people all over the city. What if--"

He silenced her with a deep kiss, then pulled back slightly to whisper against her lips, "Relax", and was thrilled when she visibly did.

"You suck you know that," she said as she buried her head in his chest.

He chuckled, "How about we go to our room and I'll show you how much I can _suck_ and by the time we're done, I promise Inuyasha will already be here." He cupped her bottom in both hands, then pulled their hips together.

She smiled, "Hentai."

He took that as a yes and scooped her up bridal style, bringing them to their room.

_Please Inuyasha, come back safe…_ they both thought before closing the door behind them.

Well I just had this idea and I had to write it. Let me know what you think. My other fic, Tomorrow's Journey is on hold for now, but I won't abandon it…I think =P

R/R Please…

* I changed the name of Naraku's organization from _Taeguki_ to _Kyoudai_ which translates to 'Brothers'.


	2. Chapter 2

+Chapter 2+

"Miroku!" He was fucking exhausted. "Sango!" He was two seconds away from just letting them sink. "Miroku, Sango!" It took every ounce of energy he had left to bellow.

Inuyasha scowled from where he floated at the base of the yacht. He did not want, by any means, to swim for another second.

He had decided about halfway into the four mile swim that he'd done enough to last him a year. Unfortunately, it looked like he would have to swim to the mossy rocks on the shore, and climb them to get on the damn boat because his 'friends' obviously weren't waiting up for him.

Fuck, he was tired. His right arm felt like it was about to fall off. His other arm was numb from carrying the girl who still hadn't woken up, after all this time.

She would be fine though. He'd made sure she coughed up the last of the water in her lungs, and now her breathing was clear instead of choppy and gurgle-like. She was probably just dizzy from hitting the water so hard when they fell, and needed to rest.

He was about to head for the shore when he heard footsteps on the wooden floors of his yacht.

"Inuyasha?" he heard Sango call.

"Sango, throw down a ladder!"

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, where are you?!" she asked worriedly.

"I'm in the fucking water, hurry up!"

Sango peered her head over the tip of the yacht, looking around for him.

"Yo!" he called her attention.

She quickly turned her head in the direction of his voice and rushed to him with Miroku in tow.

"Where the hell have you been, jackass?" She asked relief evident in her voice, as she dropped one end of the rope ladder over the edge.

He ignored her, and contemplated how he was going to make it up with the girl on his arm. He took one struggling breath and forced his sore muscles to throw her over one shoulder, before he proceeded to climb.

He sneered in disgust at how much effort it took, when he would normally have been able to do this without batting an eye. He heaved himself over, when he reached the top, begging them to take the load off his shoulder.

"Who the hell is this?" Sango asked, taking the stranger by the armpits, while her feet were in her fiancé's arms.

He didn't answer, just letting himself fall on the floor, back first. He closed his eyes, letting himself relax as he breathed deeply, tuning out his friends' endless questions.

He stared up at the minimal stars in the dark sky, happily letting consciousness leave his body to rest.

"T-Take care of her…" he panted, before falling into the much needed reprieve of sleep.

It was sickening; the way she slowly came back to the land of the awake.

Her insides churned in a slow, squishy, circular motion and she was desperate to have them settle down. The slow ascend, then the quicker descend that her body seemed to be making was nauseating.

She could feel it.

Creeping up her esophagus was whatever the hell she last ate. It wasn't until it reached the back of her mouth that her eyes popped wide open, and she jerked into a sitting position.

Surrounding her were three people; two men, one of whom she recognized with shock and --surprisingly enough—glee, and a woman.

She blinked at them…_Who… are they...?! Why are they here...?! Where __**is**__ here? _

She didn't have time to question anymore than that because the bile in her throat wanted out of her system immediately. She looked around, frantically, for some kind of disposal and that's when she noticed that they were on a boat. What the hell was _she_ doing on a boat?!

No time, it was coming, and the pressure inflated her cheeks. She brought a hand to cover her mouth, reflexively, and pushed her way past her three observers to wretch over the side of the yacht.

Kagome's eyes bugged out as her body got rid of the waste in no time. She clutched the iron rail with sweaty palms, waiting for the rest to come, so she could free her body of it.

She was thoroughly annoyed by the masculine chuckles coming from behind her, and was about to turn and glare death at them, but more mush spilled from her lips instead, demanding she stay perched over the edge.

Gentle hands came and held her hair back, and she turned to see the woman smiling down at her. She gave a shaky smile of gratitude in return.

About two minutes later, she was pretty positive that her body had reached equilibrium again. She turned to face the strangers, wiping her mouth in embarrassment.

"Umm, who are you guys?" she asked, politely.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," said the man whom she did not recognize, as he stood to greet her with a smile.

He was tall and quite lean, with a not-so-muscular build. He had short black hair tied in a little ponytail at the base of his neck while he wore a navy blue polo shirt with khaki shorts. Kagome deduced that he was rather handsome.

Speaking of handsome….

Her eyes flew to amber ones. He was staring at her, but not quite the same way as everyone else. Not with curiosity and hospitality, no… his gaze… _his gaze _demanded her attention. He sat on a chair near the built-in sofa where she had woken up.

A little corner of her brain noticed he wore jeans with a white short sleeved t-shirt with 'nautical' written in blue across the front. It also noticed that he was more muscular and tanned than the other man. But that was just the little part, the majority of her focus remained on those foreign yet familiar, exotic amber eyes.

They shone as bright as the sun that they sailed directly under, and were as intense as…as… gods there were no words. Only by force would she be able to tear her eyes away from his.

Then he licked his lips slowly, making her stomach quiver and compact and her nerves jump in excitement.

_Damn Kagome, look away, look away,_ she demanded herself, yet she didn't.

Her body wanted him to look away first, and she wasn't sure if she completely disagreed. The little stubborn and rebellious voice locked inside of her wanted his submission before her own, and it seemed that he felt the same way.

"Excuse me, Ms…" The pretty woman asked, and Kagome almost groaned because she was being forced to lose their little sensual, silent, staring contest.

"Uh…Kagome...My name, Kagome." She stuttered, suddenly afraid to look back at him now.

The woman smiled brightly, "That's pretty. My name is Sango. This is my fiancé Miroku and that's Inuyasha." She said, pointing each of them out.

_Inuyasha_, she decided that the name fit him perfectly. It was unique and foreign and masculine and…

Wait a second! Who _were_ these people?! Why was she just _accepting _the fact that they had taken her on some yacht and were currently drifting somewhere in the middle of the ocean?!

"What are you guys going to do with me?!" she asked taking a wary step back, not that _that_ would help anything if they truly meant her harm. They were on a _friggin'_ boat!

The man—Inuyasha, stood immediately.

"Nothing, you're safe here." He told her, and though his voice was harsher than his words, she believed him completely.

She relaxed.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sango asked her.

Kagome looked away as she focused on recalling the last that she remembered while being conscious.

She remembered waking up in the middle of the night, hearing Kouga leave her apartment, then rushing to follow him because she could swear he was cheating on her…

_Oh no, Kouga…_

She remembered it all, when she first laid eyes on Inuyasha, and she wanted nothing more than to save him. To save him from her boyfriend who was about to shoot him while his friend's watched and laughed. Then an explosion…

She frowned and looked back at Inuyasha who was now closer to her than he had been before.

"Do you remember?" he asked softly.

He was roughly a foot away, and he searched her face intently.

Almost absently, she mumbled, "I saved you."

He rose one eyebrow, scowling, "Feh, like hell you did! _I_ saved _you._"

She frowned. Now she was confused. She specifically remembered honking her horn, giving him the opportunity to attack and free himself.

"B-But I did. I honked my horn, and you were able to get free."

"No, I was going to get free regardless; you just made everything worse, bitch!"

She took an incredulous step back, "Excuse me?! There was no way you could have gotten free. If it weren't for me, you would have been shot"

The nerve of him! Calling _her_ a bitch, he didn't even know her. And she most certainly _did_ save him. Kouga was pulling the goddamn trigger when she honked, and if she hadn't distracted him, this idiot's brains would be splattered all over the dock!

"Hello! I'm a hanyou, I could have easily defended myself against that wimpy wolf and his flea bitten friends! You honking just gave away your hiding spot! What the hell were you doing there anyway? How old are you 19, 20?"

She gasped in outrage, fighting the urge to slap this _baka_!

"I am twenty four, you… you… _asshole_! How was I supposed to know that you could have escaped? Kouga's finger was pulling the trigger," she yelled and made the gesture with her hands in front of him. "I was just trying to help."

He averted his eyes for a moment, a thoughtful frown on his face when she said his name, before he looked back at her with an even stronger intensity than before.

"What is Kouga to you?" He asked in a rough whisper.

"W-what?" she gasped, totally caught off guard by the pleading look in his eyes.

"Inuyasha, leave Kagome alone. She just woke up." Sango said exasperatedly.

"Feh, I'm not doing anything to her." He pouted, turning away again.

"Kagome, from what Inuyasha has told us," said Miroku, "he saved you when there was an explosion at the dock. He jumped with you into the water to avoid it, and when he resurfaced, you were unconscious. Inuyasha then saw it unfit to just leave you there, unprotected so he brought you with him."

Sango nodded, "Yes, and we were scheduled to leave Tokyo last night so the only option was to travel with you until we got to Okinawa. We could drop you off there and you could contact your family."

Kagome blinked, _Family_

The problem with that plan was that she didn't have any. Once they brought her to Okinawa, who could she call? She had been living on her own since she turned eighteen and left the orphanage to go to college.

It was just her and the books, until she met Kouga a little over a year ago. No one would look for her, no colleagues because she had yet to find a job after getting her medical degree, no friends because she hardly kept contact with any of them, so it wouldn't strike anyone as odd if they didn't hear from her for a while. Only Kouga and she had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't bother because of the circumstances of when he last saw her…

That's right, he _did_ see her, yet he still fired that bullet as if she weren't even there begging him not to.

Her face turned dark, as if a raincloud had decided to stalk only her. It didn't go unnoticed by the other three on the yacht.

She couldn't really tell them that, could she? These people seemed nice enough, but the bottom line was she didn't know them. If they thought she had people who might be looking for her, that should give them some incentive to keep her unharmed, right?

"Well, thank you Inuyasha, for saving me. I'm sorry for my rudeness, and thank you all for taking care of me. I accept your offer, once we get to Okinawa; I will contact my… family." She smiled at them.

"Keh," he said, but was obviously blushing.

"Okay, Kagome." Sango smiled brightly at her. "While, you're here, you could help yourself to my clothes. We did some shopping in Tokyo, so I have new packs of underwear that I could give you."

A bright pink flared across Kagome's cheeks and she laughed nervously.

"It's going to be so much fun having another girl around here, since I'm always stuck with these three guys."

Her brows wrinkled in confusion, "Three?"

"Oh right, you haven't met Myouga, he's the captain."

Of course, someone _had _to be driving the yacht.

Kagome nodded, and Sango took her by the hand, "let me show you around."

Before Kagome was able to head inside, Inuyasha grabbed her other hand, sending a burning jolt of awareness through her.

"You haven't answered me."

"A-Answer?" she stuttered, unable to really focus on words when he was making her stomach do flip flops unlike the ones that made her heave. It was a hell of a lot more pleasant.

"What is Kouga to you?" he demanded, his eyes burning her just like they had earlier.

She blushed. For some reason, she really didn't want him to know she had a boyfriend. Well, she didn't have one, because she had broken it off with him last night… mentally anyways. Who cares if Kouga didn't know? She would never be with a man who, not only kept such a big secret from her, but also killed innocent—well _seemingly_ innocent—men with a smile.

"Nothing… _not_ anymore." She answered, looking him in the eye.

He nodded once, and Sango continued to pull her away from him. Their eyes didn't stray from each other until the door shut behind her.

Miroku whistled when he was sure the women were out of earshot. That was quite the moment his friend just had there with their newest companion.

The look his lover gave him while the sparks flew between the two, let him know that they would be talking about this later in the privacy of their bedroom.

"She is quite the looker, isn't she Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha bit his tongue and rolled his eyes.

"Would you say that a little louder? I don't think Sango could hear you and I would enjoy watching her kick your ass."

He laughed, "No thanks, I value my body, and so does Sango if she's perfectly honest with herself."

Inuyasha shook his head, ignoring him.

"So," Miroku continued, "does she smell of deceit?"

The hanyou shook his head. "No, she's clean. If they are using her, then she has no idea."

"Well, that's refreshing. It's rare to find a beautiful stranger who isn't secretly plotting your death."

"Feh,"

"We should be careful, Inuyasha. They could be using her to track us."

"Don't you think I know that already, bouzo?"

"I suppose you would, and you would also realize the risk of bringing someone along with us. It could get pretty dangerous for her."

"Keh, I'm not worried about that. I could protect her, just fine."

Miroku raised a skeptic eyebrow, not because he doubted his friend's abilities to protect someone, but because of the tone he took when pronouncing it.

"I'm sure you can."

"How long do you think it would take to get to Okinawa?"

Miroku smiled, _counting the days you have with her, huh Inuyasha…._

"Well, if the weather cooperates with us, then we should be there in a week or so."

He saw his friend look down, thoughtfully, before shrugging.

"Well, she won't be a burden for long. I'll go ask Myouga how the weather's looking in this region." And his friend was gone without a backward glance.

"And for your sake, Inuyasha, I will pray for a storm." Miroku said once he was alone, a knowing smirk on his face.

R/R and let me know if I should continue…

3 Thanks to all who have reviewed, it means a lot!


	3. Chapter 3

+Chapter 3+

Well past midnight, Kagome fluffed her pillow one last time beneath her, and decided to sort through the millions of thoughts in her head.

Sleeping on a couch may sound unappealing, but Kagome had to admit that it was the most comfortable couch she'd ever been on. That wasn't surprising though because everything on the small yacht was pretty luxurious… for a boat, anyway. Not that she'd ever been on one for her to be able to make any comparisons, but she assumed.

The cool red suede beneath her would do just fine as both comfortable bedding, and a thinking chamber.

She relaxed, her eyes staring blankly at the late night news anchormen on the flat screen in front of her with the cliché hairstyles, and wide white, pristine smiles.

That had to be the most eventful 24 hours of her life. When she went to bed the night before, she would have bet her life that this wouldn't have happened. Kagome Higurashi just wasn't the type of girl that spontaneous things happened to.

_Spontaneous…keh..._ What an understatement.

She smiled, did she just, _Keh?_

Never in her twenty four years had she heard a word—if she could even call it a word—repeated so many times in such a small time frame. She rather liked it, though. It was funny to her, and so was he.

_Inuyasha_… the sole abuser of the phrase.

When she left with Sango this morning, she and the girl bonded almost instantly, which elated her to no end.

Kagome learned that the yacht had three bedrooms; one for the lovers, one for Inuyasha, and one for the captain, Myouga. Sango took her to hers and Miroku's where they sat and talked until lunchtime. The girl told her that she and Miroku knew each other since high school and he followed her to college where they moved in together. Then, they both found a job and that's where they met Inuyasha. They'd been together ever since.

It was obvious that the three of them were best friends. Kagome wanted to ask about their family, and what made them decide to be nomads, traveling by boat, but something told her not to. At least not yet anyway. Sango would have mentioned it to her if it was something she didn't mind sharing.

An hour later, they emerged from the room only to run into the person who had intrigued her the most since she first woke up. She muttered an apology and side-stepped him as quickly as possible. He didn't say anything; he just stood there which confused her.

If he wasn't going to enter, or say anything, why was he there?

Sango glared at him before she grabbed both their wrists and dragged them to the room that contained the kitchen, dining, and living area.

The kitchen was just a small, clean, section in the corner of the room, complete with stainless steel appliances, Fir wood cabinets and cupboards, and a deep blue peninsula that separated it from the dining area. That area only contained a round, polished, wooden table with five matching chairs and an arrangement of plastic fruit in a basket in the center. Off to the side was a little, two cabinet china composed of both wood and glass.

Separating the rooms from the living area, were two short steps on the wooden floors. A burgundy suede couch with two matching sofa chairs on either side of it, a glass coffee table, and a wide flat screen hoisted on the wall, were the last of the furnishings of the room.

Miroku grilled up the best tasting burgers Kagome had ever had, for all of them, admitting that he'd attended a culinary arts school. That's when she met Myouga, the flea demon, who joined them after setting the yacht on autopilot.

She learned that he was actually Inuyasha's godfather, which was odd because Inuyasha didn't treat him with the respect that their relationship entitled; calling him _jiji, _smacking him so hard on the shiny top of his head, that it looked like the round man would just pop. Their banter had been the source of entertainment for the afternoon, until the old man had the common sense to leave.

Afterwards, Sango suggested a card game and they cleared the table to play. Miroku shuffled through the cards like a pro dealer and introduced her to a game that they called "S-P-O-O-N-S."

"This is how it goes, Kagome." Miroku began, his hands shuffling so rapidly that she turned cross-eyed trying to keep track of them, so naturally she gave up. "Everyone will get four cards."

He took out four faced-down cards for himself and for each of the women, before putting the rest of the deck to the side. Much to Kagome's discontent, Inuyasha decided to sprawl on the couch and channel surf rather than have a friendly game with them.

She didn't know whether or not it was okay to look at her cards so she waited for their moves before she did anything.

The couple picked their cards up at about the same time, Miroku grinning cheekily and Sango looking disappointed. Kagome did the same, not knowing if her hand was anything to cheer about.

"Okay, Kagome. The objective of the game is to get four cards of the same number, but different suits of course. I'm going to pick up a card from the deck, and if it's a number that I already have, then I would want to keep it so that I can get closer to having four. If I don't need it, then I pass it to you and you do the same, but pass it to Sango. The catch is, you're only allowed four cards in your hand at once, so to gain one, you have to discard another and pass it. Once you pass it, you can't have it back."

Kagome nodded, it sounded simple enough. "So what happens if you get four similar cards?"

"Whoever gets all four of the same cards" Sango said, "has to put their hand in the center of the table, and everyone else has to put their hand on top of theirs. Whoever's hand is at the top receives an 'S', until they spell out 'SPOONS'. That person is the loser of course."

Kagome smiled, this sounded like it could be fun. "Okay, got it."

"Also, Kagome, you don't want anyone to see your cards. We could purposefully keep a card just so you won't have it."

Kagome nodded, and took another look at her cards. It looked like she was at a slight advantage because she had a couple of queens, a 3, and a 5. All she needed were two more queens.

"Looks like you have a good hand." Miroku smirked, reading her smile. "Alrighty." He said, and picked up the card at the top of the deck. He looked at it for a second then placed it faced down and slid it over to her.

_A six_… No need. She passed it to Sango. She saw Sango keep it and put a card off to the side where the discarded cards would start a pile.

As Miroku put a new card in his hand, her eyes wandered to Inuyasha again. She was surprised to find him staring over at the table, watching as the game progressed, obviously interested. She looked away when he caught her staring; bringing her attention to two cards Miroku had already passed to her.

She hurried to catch up, and was excited to find a 3 in them. She discarded her 5 and passed it to Sango along with the 9 Miroku had passed her. A few passes later, Miroku picked up another card from the top and put it in his hand quickly. Before she knew it, he had his hand slammed on the table.

A blink of indecision later, Sango's hand had joined his and Kagome realized she had lost that round. She sighed, smiling, as she brought her hand on theirs.

"S!" both Miroku and Sango smirked at the same time, looking at her.

"That's okay; it was your first try." Sango sympathized, grabbing the deck by Miroku and shuffling her cards with them. "What did you get, houshi?" she asked her fiancé.

_Houshi…?_

Miroku presented his cards. "Four 7's." he smiled, "Lucky numbers… how befitting for me, who was blessed with a goddess such as you, Sango."

"Awww," Kagome cooed, teasingly. Sango just blushed rolling her eyes.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted loudly, before getting up off the couch and walking past them, into the kitchenette.

"I'm starting this time, so you can't cheat." Sango said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I'm hurt by your words, love. To think, that you would actually insinuate that I-the man you love- would--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She laughed and stopped shuffling to hand out the cards.

Kagome watched Inuyasha's movements out of the corner of her eyes. He took a bottled water out the fridge, before coming around the peninsula to lean against it, facing them. He acted casual enough, as if he were just taking a moment to quench his thirst, but Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that he wanted to be around the jovial atmosphere.

Kagome picked up her cards as the game began, not particularly interested anymore. His close proximity was a little nerve-wracking.

Even though he was the main reason she was there in the first place, he had barely said two words to her since this morning. He didn't seem to feel inclined to get to know her at all for the short time she would be staying with them. It stung a little because there was no doubt in her mind that she would want to befriend him, just like she had the others.

All he did was lounge around, always near-by, but out of the way. Sango kept passing her cards, and she had to blink to comprehend their significance because the hairs on the side of her body closest to him tingled when he brought the bottle to his lips, downing half of it in one swig.

"HA!" Miroku brought his hand down again with more force than necessary. Sango's hand followed his with quick succession leaving Kagome slow to the uptake. Like she was jolted awake, she brought her hand to theirs, pointlessly.

"Crap." She muttered.

"P!" they shouted at her, laughing as they gave each other a hi-5. Kagome wrinkled her nose and dropped her cards.

"I guess I suck at this game." She giggled.

"Keh, that's an understatement." She had a muscle spasm in her stomach at the gravelly sound of his voice.

_What is __**up**__ with me_…

Would she ever get used to him? It's not like she really had to because Sango had informed her that she'd only be with them for about a week, but she certainly did _not_ want to go embarrassing herself while she was here.

He raised an eyebrow at her though his eyes met hers with interest. She looked away, blushing.

This was silly, she was a grown woman and she could handle a little staring from the opposite sex, couldn't she? She did it for practically every day of her life. It didn't matter that these leering eyes were far more gorgeous than any other had been, or that they belonged to an equally gorgeous body too.

This shouldn't have her heart lurching so high in her throat that she almost choked. She took a deep breath, and turned back to him, a warm smile on her face.

"Inuyasha, why don't you join us?"

"I'll pass." He said, and finished his drink. She was almost trapped again by the movement of his Adam's apple when he swallowed, but she quickly looked away.

She smirked when she got an idea that she was sure would work, based on what little of him she already knew.

Inuyasha threw the plastic in the trash, and was about to return to the couch.

"Wow Inuyasha, I didn't think you'd be the type to be afraid of a little game." She shrugged the smirk still on her face.

He turned around, immediately.

Sango and Miroku had been oddly quiet, Sango's shuffling; extremely slow.

"Afraid?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, why else wouldn't you want to play a game this fun? It's because you're scared to lose, isn't it?"

"Keh! Feh! S-Scared! Me? As if, bitch!"

She laughed softly, "Well then, pull up a seat and put your pride where your mouth is."

He looked hesitant for a moment and she was afraid he'd say no, but then he smirked and flopped down between Sango and Miroku.

"Yay, an extra player! It's always more fun with more people. We should start over." Sango said, shuffling faster.

Kagome sat up straighter, the thrill of competition finally hitting her. She wiggled her fingers, readying them for the game.

Her eyes met Inuyasha's, right after the cards were dealt, both of them defiant and challenging before the cards were sliding around the polished wood with a speed fueled by the desire to best the other.

**********

Kagome smiled, snuggling up to her pillow. It had definitely gotten a lot more interesting after Inuyasha joined them.

A simple card game had caused her to work up a sweat; the frustration of having three matching cards and just needing one more to win, and the anticipation of hearing a hand slam down and making sure you weren't last to respond.

It was thrilling. After every round, they ended up laughing at the loser's expense.

There were many highlights during the three hour game. One had been the riot Inuyasha caused when he suspected that Miroku and Sango were giving each other signals when they were about to win so that they would always be at the bottom of the hand pile.

It was pretty embarrassing—not because Inuyasha's youkai speed would always keep his hand second in the pile, and leave her as the loser—but it also left her hand _directly_ on top of his.

She would have slapped herself for blushing so much, if that wouldn't just make her face redder.

She was positive that he noticed, which just made everything that much worse. Damn it, why did his hand have to be so warm, big, and strong?!

Kagome's hands caressed the cushion beneath her slowly, remembering how he was laying exactly where she was at that very moment, just a few hours ago. Who knows how else he must've lain on this couch?

_In pajamas_…_in boxers…in a…__**towel**_!

She buried her head in her pillow, rubbing it against her face, trying to erase the tempting mental image. Suffocating herself in the fluff for a few moments did the trick, and she felt better when she came up for air.

In the end, Sango had been first to lose, even though she had cheated for half the game. Kagome had been next to lose, but she blamed it on the damn cards never being the right ones. Since the game couldn't be played with two players, it ended with Inuyasha making it up to 'S-P-O-O', while Miroku was very close with 'S-P-O-O-N'. He and Inuyasha got into a fight over the hanyou's strength being an unfair advantage.

Miroku began preparing Spaghetti with meatballs for dinner, after the cards were collected. The remaining three gathered around the television, while he worked. Kagome was once again amazed by his cooking talents, and didn't stop raving about it until Inuyasha had barked at her to stop. That, of course, sparked a little harmless argument.

A steamy shower had been the cherry on top of her sundae of a day.

These people, who had been put so suddenly in her life for the next week, were good people. Not only were they good, but they made her laugh out loud and enjoy herself. It was odd, she wasn't shy, per se, but she was introverted. Normally, she wouldn't click with people this fast… but then again, she'd never really been forced to, like she was now.

She felt a sharp pang of guilt that had been nagging her ever since her long chat with Sango, and that became more prominent as the day progressed.

She _lied_ to them.

She was an orphan, with no real home besides the little one bedroom apartment _Kouga_ had bought for her as a graduation gift. Of course, she had no idea he was buying it for her, and would have refused it if she'd known, but when he presented it to her, everything was finalized and she had to accept the overly generous gift.

_Kouga…_

The first man she had ever truly and completely loved. Her mind wandered back to that night, that night she last looked into the eyes that weren't his. Not _her_ Kouga's.

Things had been going downhill long before that fateful night, but seeing him for the first time as a _true, heartless_ youkai… it sealed the deal for the eminent demise of their relationship.

The Kami's knew, she did everything to save them. She loved him, hurt for him, and cried for him. There was a time she believed that he was all she needed to uphold her, but that was once upon a time. All things considered, she honestly should have known…

Kagome sighed, closing her eyes against the tears that have yet to fall for him. She already knew pain, losing a family made her familiar with it. This pain, however, was different, but just as harsh.

There went her good day…

The moisture seeped its way through her clenched lids, sliding down her face, silently.

"Ka-Kagome, are you okay?" came the soft whisper of gravel, and her eyes popped open, a choked cry spilling from her lips.

_I-Inuyasha...!_

"REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!" She begged sweetly. 3

Sorry it's so short, but I felt it's been too long since I updated so… there it is!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, so there.

+ Chapter 4 +

She was definitely attracted to him, that he was sure of.

Her scent had told him more than he needed to know, and honestly, he had no idea how to feel about it. For over three years now, Sango had been the only woman he really associated with because he _wanted _to.

This woman, however, was rather quickly passing through that impenetrable barrier he kept around the people he actually tolerated.

She was beautiful, obviously, she was witty, and had the most magnetic personality. The fact that she also had no prejudices against demons was both a plus and a minus. A plus because she wouldn't piss him off with any 'hanyou-filth' remarks, but a minus because if it weren't for that, she would have never been with the wolf bastard.

Inuyasha bit his lip to keep it from curling in a growl. That's where one problem lied.

She still smelled of him, the ookami. Twenty-four hours had passed and the scent still lingered. That only meant one thing… sex.

At least it was fading, which meant she wasn't mated to him, but still it bothered him, and he hated that it did.

Had it been at least six years earlier, back when he changed girls as often as he changed socks, he would have been all over her shapely little body before she could even think to resist him, even if she was a wolf's bitch. Six years earlier…

Inuyasha almost dropped the 400lb weights he'd been bench pressing, on his chest. He set them aside and sat up to wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

Kagome was gorgeous, and attracted to him with a scent so alluring he wanted to submerge himself in it. If he were still the asshole that he used to be, then she would have made a great fuck… the greatest even.

He grimaced at his thoughts, not believing that he had ever referred to women as _that_. Back before he was saved and changed for the better…

Inuyasha clenched his eyes tight. _That_ was irrelevant. Well…actually, it was pretty relevant because it was the main reason he wasn't humping the girl at that very moment, but it wasn't first priority.

Their first priority was to get this girl to Okinawa so they could dump her and move on, living their lives as normally as they could.

Ignoring her shouldn't be too hard to do. He did have some self-control, didn't he? Three years without the satisfaction achieved only after the most intimate of contacts, wasn't that long, was it? He'd lived for far longer than he appeared to have, and with the years came great patience.

_Keh…bullshit. _It was no secret that Inuyasha was the least patient guy you could find.

He rose from the bench and grabbed a towel to dab at his face.

It had to be because of the rotten timing. It was springtime, meaning his hormones were running a mock, and it'd been three years since his raw desires were acted upon. That had to be it.

He didn't even bother to remind himself that he'd never felt this way about Sango during the spring season.

The relief he felt after his realization was like that of a pregnant woman who had gone all day without pissing, and was just presented with a golden toilet seat. Now that he'd convinced himself he knew the reason for his fascination with her, he was confident he could resist her.

As long as she didn't try anything first, that was…

He hadn't thought about another woman this much in years.

Did that mean he was ready to move on? He, by no means, had forgotten about the past. He never could, of course. But this situation, this attraction that he had to her, had him doing an awful lot of thinking and reconsidering.

He knew he would have to move on eventually, anyway, because Kikyou hadn't been his mate; the one he was predestined to be with. But she was special; incredibly important to him, and a mere three years of loneliness wasn't enough time. He deserved a lifetime for what he did…

His decision was made. He didn't deserve Kagome any more than the stinking wolf, who nearly killed her, did. He didn't deserve anyone.

Inuyasha sighed; he definitely did not deserve another chance. He wouldn't engage in anything over PG level with her. No matter how badly her body and scent called to him, he would continue to pay for his mistakes, like every man should.

Inuyasha looked at the digital clock implanted in his wall, and saw that it read 12:32a.m. Why the hell hadn't he noticed how late it'd become?

Probably because of the excitement Kagome brought with her. They'd had fun, today, paying attention to their guest. All the joking had made the hours, practically, fly by without their notice. He was the least social of them all but even he enjoyed the distraction from their usual routine.

He was beat, more emotionally than physically, and decided that he should have a drink of water before heading to bed. He put a wife beater over his bare chest after the sweat had dried on his skin, feeling a little too lazy to put any pants over his boxers.

He took a moment to determine if water was worth being in the same room with her while she lay asleep and vulnerable. Then, his throat throbbed with thirst.

He definitely needed it. It would only take a minute, and he decided to not even wait to finish drinking in the kitchen, he'd bring the bottle back with him.

Inuyasha left his room and padded his bare feet down the dark halls, taking his sweet time.

It was right before he stepped through the threshold of the living room, scratching his flat belly and yawning loudly, that he caught the scent of tears. He paused before entering, his yawn catching in his throat.

He closed his mouth slowly, his head jerking back in confusion. He took another whiff, needlessly. There was no mistaking the scent of tears.

Each passing moment brought on a higher concentration of the scent of salt, diluting her natural scent and making his stomach do somersaults. How he hated tears, and how he despised them coming from a woman.

He was so close to turning away, to hell with how much his throat burned. He didn't do tears. Never did, and never would.

But… something was definitely wrong.

They'd had a good day. He'd been convinced she wouldn't mind being with them for a while. She had gotten along with everyone, too. What did she have to be so upset about?

Except…_Kouga, o_f course. She probably _missed_ him or whatever.

She obviously didn't realize what Kouga had almost done to her. The bastard had put her life on the line, and it was he, Inuyasha, who'd been the one to save her in the end. She shouldn't miss him at all, he didn't deserve it.

He scowled, ready to growl…

She wasn't breathing. Kagome was keeping her mouth shut, as if she didn't want to hear the sounds of her cry. The strain to keep herself silent was probably suffocating her.

Judging by the strong scent of tears and sadness, she'd been like this for a long time, and probably didn't even realize the lack of oxygen to her body. If she did, then the pain would've demanded her to breathe again.

Before he could stop himself, the growl he'd halted, spilled from his lips in the form of a question, "Ka-Kagome, are you okay?"

He'd startled them both, and she choked as she exhaled all the pent up emotion.

She whirled on him, her wide eyes shining and red. Her rosy cheeks, marred with fresh tears, and her lower lip trembling.

Inuyasha wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure his face reflected her sadness for the smallest of moments, when their eyes connected. She gasped again after seeing his face, before quickly turning away.

She rushed to wipe her eyes in the sheets, obviously embarrassed.

"Inu-Inuyasha," she said, her voice shaking terribly, and she sniffled loudly. She didn't turn back to him. "I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow, though she didn't notice. _Yeah, and I'm an anime character._

Whatever, if she wasn't going to say anything, he didn't care…

"Really, then why're your eyes all wet?" he asked, without really thinking about it. His voice was soft though he tried to keep it strong.

"I-I'm not!" she sounded almost angry. "I-I-I" and she didn't finish because her panting and heaving had quickened, turning her voice into an embarrassing stutter, as a fresh batch of tears accumulated in her eyes.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in panic. She looked so helpless, perfectly imitating a fish out of water. She had _not_ been crying like this before, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. He should've never come in…

For a few moments, she just sat there, trying to stop the undignified sounds that were spilling from her lips. That, of course, just made it worse, and her labored breaths plucked at his heart strings, playing a despondent song.

It sucked, that a woman in distress could hurt him so much, but he didn't care to think about it at that moment.

He walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She was watching what he was doing as she swallowed her tears, trying to put on a brave face.

Inuyasha didn't look up as he walked out the kitchenette, down the little steps, and around the couch to sit next to her.

He put the water bottle before her. "Drink this."

She hesitated for a second, before bringing a rather shaky hand up to take the bottle from him. "Thanks." She sniffled.

"Keh."

Completely enveloped in awkward silence, they just sat by each other, as she drank small sips. He looked to the television that's volume was so low to her human ears, it might as well have been on mute.

It was giving some old show, probably from the 70's or 80's that was too unpopular to play during daylight hours. As they sat, he tested himself, straining his ears to see how much of it he could catch.

Finally, she set the ¼ full bottle of water on the glass table. He turned to look at her.

She looked better now, though her eyes were still red and puffy. They were trained on the television screen, but he seriously doubted she could hear a thing coming from it.

Anyway, she looked fine now. There was no need for him anymore, and he suddenly felt stupid for being there in the first place. The awkwardness now, was even worse than before.

He mentally shook his head, and prepared himself to leave before things got any more uncomfortable.

But then, she cleared her throat, stopping any and all movements.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry." She said, sounding so dejected. He turned to her only to find her staring back at him with an expression to match her soft voice.

"What for? You got nothing to apologize about." He shrugged.

"I didn't mean to wake you. The others are probably up now too, because of me."

He shook his head. "I hadn't slept yet, and no one heard you, trust me."

"Oh," she nodded, and then looked down. "Okay."

Ridiculous that she would be worried over something like that. Another awkward moment later, he wondered if she planned on telling him what she was upset about or if he should just ask her, himself. Did he even want to know?

Just when he'd made up his mind, a very familiar sound echoed off the thin walls…

Headboard banging against hard wall…

"Oh, baby!" came Miroku's loud moan.

"Miroku, Ahh harder! So close!" Sango followed.

He could've died at that moment. In fact, he wanted to. The moans were so loud that the couple might as well have been going at it right in front of them.

The hanyou didn't think he'd ever blushed so hard in his entire life.

His mind went blank; he no longer knew what he'd planned to say or what he was going to do next. All he knew was that he didn't have the courage to look over at his seatmate.

Kagome must've already fainted by now.

His mouth open and closed a few times, as he tried to speak to distract from the heavy moaning and groaning coming from the next room, but nothing seemed appropriate.

Did they really have to be doing that _now_, when they had company?!

He'd long ago mastered the art of managing to fall asleep with all the noise of their lovemaking, but it'd been so constant that he forgot about it. If he'd remembered, then lord knows he wouldn't be up with Kagome while it went on.

They really had no shame…well maybe Sango did, but the lecher she chose to be with certainly didn't. He probably coaxed her into it, and now she was too lost in the throes of passion to care about who heard her.

Inuyasha swallowed some courage, and took a chance to catch Kagome's expression.

What he saw nearly knocked him out of his seat.

She was smirking, and looking back at him. She had a faint blush under her eyes, but it was nowhere near as severe as his.

Now he felt childish. Kagome was an adult too, and not as innocent as she looked. She already knew what couples did at late night hours.

She probably did it with the wolf as often as Sango and Miroku…

His insides twisted at the thought.

She definitely wasn't as innocent as she looked, and she looked pretty damn innocent, especially now as she wore one of Sango's few decent nightgowns. It was a white cotton dress that looked more like a giant t-shirt than anything, and it had an animated half-moon on it whose eyes were closed in slumber.

She started giggling at him, and he had to admit that he was becoming rather fond of the sound.

He forgot about all of his disgust the moment she poked him in his side.

"You look like a tomato." She said.

He was about to comment that she didn't look any better with her tear streaked face, but figured it was too soon for jokes.

He smirked instead.

The moans went on.

"So is it like this every night?" she asked.

He nodded, "Pretty much, and sometimes, during the day."

"Wow. Well, I suppose they have to entertain themselves somehow. There's not much to work with on a boat." She joked.

Inuyasha almost allowed himself to laugh, but didn't.

"Keh. You'd better get to sleep, wench." And he rose from the couch.

"Wait!" she said, and the force of it brought a darker shade of red to her face. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha sat back down, tired of seeing her frown.

"Would you stop apologizing so much? No one else around here does!"

"Oh, sor—I mean, I don't mean to-"

"Forget about it. What you stop me for?

Kagome smiled a little, "Well I don't think I'll be getting some sleep anytime soon, and I kind of wanted to talk to you."

"What you got a complaint or somethin'?"

Kagome giggled, "No…I could never complain when you've all been so kind to me."

He ignored that last part, "Well, what is it?"

She brought her legs up and crossed them to get comfortable, then pushed her wavy hair behind her small ears.

"I know you may not think that this is any of my business, but-" her mouth hung open for a moment as If she was trying to phrase her question the right way. "Kouga was…my boyfriend."

_Who gives a shit?! _He yelled to himself. And--what the fuck--that sentence didn't make any sense.

"What are you getting at, bitch?" he snapped.

She exhaled loudly.

"I want to know, Inuyasha. Why were you there with him last night? Who is _he_, really, because I- I don't know…"

Her eyes got all glossy.

So maybe she didn't miss the ass, she was just understandably confused. He took a minute to imagine being in her shoes, a trick his father taught him for situations like these.

She'd been—probably in love— with someone who was a part of the Ketsueki Kyoudai. She definitely didn't know about it because the organization was kept strictly confidential, with the members being the only ones in the know.

They held meetings at least twice a month. The in between time was spent collecting bounty. There was no time for others; therefore, no member of the Kyoudai had any real bonds with outsiders.

He would know.

Kagome must have been on the receiving end of a flaky relationship with an absentee boyfriend. One night she just finds him about to commit a heinous crime, and all the pieces come together. No wonder she was confused. Come to think of it now, it was a surprise she hadn't asked about this sooner.

However, the secrets of an organization so dangerous, were not ones you go around telling people.

It's why they were after him, after all.

She may deserve to know more about it, but going into detail was really unnecessary.

Inuyasha bit his lip, as he mentally double checked to make sure that what he told her would be enough to pacify her and keep her blissfully unaware, at the same time.

"Kouga is a bastard, a dangerous one."

He had kind of hoped that that was all he needed to say.

She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed…

_Apparently not_…

"He's a bounty hunter, Kagome. Like an assassin, kinda"

He saw her inhale deeply as she took in his words, her eyes widening. At least she didn't look like she was about to cry. That made him think that she'd already realized the truth on her own.

She looked down, "and he was going to kill you." She said.

He nodded even though it wasn't a question.

"All this time..." she spoke softly, to herself. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"What did I tell you about that?" he asked.

She smiled sadly. "But I am."

"Nothing happened to me, so don't go feeling bad." And he looked away to hide his blush.

Looking away, he didn't see her coming at him. Next thing he knew, soft, cool lips pressed gently against his cheek for the smallest part of a second.

Inuyasha turned back around, stunned. He had _not_ seen that coming. Apparently, neither did she.

She hid behind her curtain of hair, a blush to rival the one he'd sported just moments ago, fanning out across her face. He smirked.

"Now, who looked like a tomato?" he taunted.

She shoved him playfully. "Jerk."

"Whatever. It's past your bedtime, get to sleep."

He grabbed hold of his knees, and pushed himself up.

"Can't you stay, Inuyasha?"

His heart stopped, and his mouth went dry.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly.

She blushed again, "Well, I don't think I could go to sleep now anyway. Would you like to watch some TV with me?"

And he wanted to say no, but didn't want to, at the same time. His hesitation made her speak up again.

She batted her long eyelashes. "Please…"

Oh hell no, she was not about to play him for an idiot and go acting all cute on him! He was made of tougher stuff. There was no way her angelic cuteness was going to affect him in anyway, and the fact that she even tried it, was reason enough to deny her.

"Okay." He said.

That did not sound remotely like the 'Hell no!' he'd been planning.

She clapped excitedly, and needlessly scoot over for him. He sat by her, and she snuggled up a little closer to him, just shy of touching.

Sango and Miroku had gotten quiet, and for that he was thankful, because the new silence that surrounded them would have made the couple's noise sound like they were coming from speakers.

Kagome put the volume up and they sat back to watch Three's Company. She sang along to the theme song, making him shake his head.

Moments later, she grabbed her thin sheet, and protected herself from the chill of the A.C. She shyly asked him if he wanted to share and he declined the offer more than a little quickly. He had no desire to feel her skin pressed up against his underwear-clad body… at least, that's what he told himself.

They'd only been sitting for an hour before she started nodding off. He had fun watching her eyes drift close, and her head bounce up when she woke herself, only to repeat her actions.

When she had completely fallen, and her neck hung low, Miroku walked in, looking ridiculous in Sango's pink robe. He stopped short when he saw the two of them, his eyebrow raising and his mouth opening to ask a question.

Before he could speak, the hanyou held up a silencing finger, warning him to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn't wake the girl.

Miroku smirked and nodded once, continuing on his way to the kitchen where he opened the cupboards in search of potato chips.

Inuyasha watched him warily the whole time, and (once again) he didn't see it coming.

Kagome's body just _dumped _on him. Her whole upper half just fell on him, her head _directly_ between his open knees.

Her long black hair cascaded around his lap, giving anyone who could be watching a _very_ wrong impression. His mouth opened in an 'O" shape, his entire body frozen in place. Well not his _entire_ body; one very specific part was heating up rather quickly.

Miroku closed the cupboards, and turned around. From his elevated ground, he could clearly see what had happened, and the chips fell to the ground as he threw his head back in silent laughter.

He turned on him so quick, his eyes livid, as a snarl ripped through him.

The sound is what roused her, and she mumbled, from between his legs, "You smell nice, Inuyasha…"

Her head rubbed against his thigh, as if it were a pillow, as she slowly awoke.

By now he was stiff as a board.

_Damn, damn, damn, DAMN!_

From down there, her beautiful blue eyes slid open slowly as they took his face in, inch by inch.

It took all of one second for the panic to reach her face. One small hand landed on his knee, while the other…_right_ on his crotch, and she _pushed _herself up, applying painfully delicious pressure to his sensitive area.

Fuck he could feel it, so _raw,_ through his boxers.

The panic turned to horror, and she released all physical contact she had with him, her hands flying to cover he mouth.

"Oh my god!"

He jumped up abruptly before she could see _too_ clearly what mess she caused.

"Inuyasha, I'm so so so so sorry!--" she apologized, her mouth running a mile a minute with apologies.

He didn't stay to hear any more, he just stormed out the room, leaving behind a red-faced girl, and a laughing pervert.

Why the hell had he gone in there?!

**************

"REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!" She begged sweetly. 3

I am not positive, but I'm pretty sure that _Ketsueki Kyoudai_ translates to Blood Brothers. If that's not right, then so sorry, but I kind of like how _Ketsukei Kyoudai_ sounds...

LOL, that was a fun chapter to write.

Hmm… wonder if I should get a Beta…


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, so there.

+ Chapter 5 +

Miroku walked into their bedroom holding a bag of Lays potato chips, snickering.

His fiancé watched him with a raised eyebrow as he slid the pink robe off his naked body, and rejoined her in bed.

He didn't say a word as he failed to hold in his laughter and tilted the bag in her direction in offering.

Mouth full of chips and a giggle in his throat, he asked, "Want some?"

Sango scrunched her face up when chips flew from his mouth. He laughed harder.

"Okay, what gives?" she demanded.

It took him a minute, but eventually he was able to tell her everything he'd witnessed, going into specific detail of their hanyou friend's comical reaction.

When he finished, Sango's expression was caught between laughter and astonishment. Her jaw hung low, though the corners of her lips tugged upward.

"That's _not_ funny, Miroku." She said, slapping his chest lightly.

"Its fucking hilarious and you know it."

Miroku gave her a stern look as she bit her lips, until she had to laugh.

"Oh god, he must be mortified!" She cackled.

He nodded, "You should've been there!"

Her sides hurt, she was laughing so hard.

"I think he likes her, Miroku." She said, after catching a breath, "Or at least, he could."

"I think so, too. Inuyasha isn't the type to get boners from just anyone." He chuckled.

"Okay, enough of that." She glared at him. "It's kind of refreshing to see him acting so…so…"

"So un-Inuyasha-like?"Miroku provided.

"Right… Maybe this means he's ready to move on."

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "I wonder though, why Kagome? Girls in the city have made passes at him before, and not one has captured his attention the way Kagome has."

Sango shrugged. "Maybe… maybe those other girls weren't his type."

"What! Some of those girls were gor-"

Sango grabbed his nipple and pinched hard before he could finish that sentence.

"I was going to say _gory_ looking in comparison to you, Sango!" he gasped, as she started to twist it.

She let go after a few more agonizing moments. "Aww, how sweet, you letch!"

"Only for you, baby." He rubbed the tender flesh.

She gave him a smile that was too creepy and wide to be sincere before glaring at him.

"Anyway." She bit out brusquely, "Kagome is obviously his type."

"Yup, there was _hard_ evidence of that." He joked.

Sango just gave him a look that spoke volumes.

"It's about time he found someone. He's been alone for so long now. Maybe we could… I don't know give them a little _push_"

Miroku nodded, "But we should consider the possibility that he isn't ready to move on, even if he is attracted to her."

She sighed, "That's true. And we don't even know Kagome's feelings about all this. By the way she gawks at him, it's pretty obvious she likes him, but what if she's still in love with Kouga?"

"Yes. Though she did say that they had no relations, she may still love him. Inuyasha doesn't need a girl with baggage."

Sango cocked her head back, incredulously. "Baggage? Seriously Miroku, Inuyasha is the king of baggage! No girl could have as much as him!"

Miroku chuckled, "I suppose you're right, but that's brought something else to my attention. We all have baggage. How on earth could they be together? She has a life off this boat and we don't. She'd either have to stay with us or…well no that's the only option because we couldn't live on land."

Sango frowned as she brought her head to his shoulder.

"Well I do like Kagome… you think it would be too much to ask her to stay?" She asked.

Miroku smiled, "Hmm, ask her to abandon her life and family and friends to live on a yacht with a bunch of strangers…nah I don't think it's _that_ much to ask for."

Sango sighed and smirked at him, "My thoughts exactly."

"I know you mean well, love, but unless a miracle happens, those two can't be together."

"But…Inuyasha should be happy, he may think otherwise but he _deserves_ it." She said, her eyes misting a bit.

Miroku held his woman tighter in the embrace of his arms. "I know, and one day someone will convince him of that. A special woman will heal his heart." He smiled.

"What if it's Kagome, and we just let her go?"

"Then, she'd fight to be with him anyway."

Sango wiped away the lone tear that escaped her lashes. "I guess you're right. We'll just have to wait on a sign."

_That's not really what I've been saying…_"A sign?"

She nodded, sitting up. "His mate isn't going to just be _born_ on this yacht, Miroku. She's out there with a life and family and whatever else you said.

"Finding Kagome and bringing her with us may not have been a coincidence… it could've been fate. I think… I think him being attracted to her is a miracle that could be considered a sign from him, that she's the one. It could be the reason he's so drawn to her. Now all we need is a sign from her."

Determination written across her face, she clasped her hands together against her chest.

Miroku, the supportive man that he was, snored loudly in mock slumber.

She turned and glared at him, slapping him hard on the bicep. "Miroku!"

Miroku laughed. "I know, I know, I'm just kidding. I agree with you. Let's just hope he doesn't wreck it."

Sango frowned, "You're right. Knowing him, he'll only push her away until she hates him."

"Probably." He yawned, snuggling up to her.

She pushed him away and sat up, abruptly. "We can't let that happen! If she's the one, he's going to have to learn how to embrace love! Embrace it, damnit!"

His eyes were round as saucers since he hadn't expected the sudden outburst and loss of warmth. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back down to him, chuckling.

She bonked him on the head, once he let her go.

He laughed, and grabbed her again. "You're getting ahead of yourself, love. They haven't even kissed or anything. I'm all for hooking them up, but what could _we_ do?"

She sighed, "Well, if we do get a sign, we can't make it obvious we're in on it or he'll just try harder to resist her."

"Hmm" he said thoughtfully. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

She smirked and kissed him on the nose, "I guess. Goodnight, love of my life."

She got in a sleep ready position.

"Night." He said, a little confused.

He'd expected her to contemplate this all night, but knowing her she'd probably already thought of something.

_Oh well, I guess I'll leave this to her…_

And, with that, he threw his arm around her in a spooning position, following her lead and going to sleep.

****

He hated her.

There wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind, as she stared forlornly at the remaining few Apple Jacks that floated on the surface of her warming milk.

Last night kept replaying itself in her mind with crystal clarity, and never failed to bring on a shade of crimson to her face.

Sango--sitting across the table from her on the sky deck with her own bowl of cereal--was bound to ask questions sooner or later. Judging by the piercing stare her new friend directed at her, it would probably be sooner.

Kagome was pretty sure that Sango already knew what happened since her fiancé had bore witness to the fiasco, but women were infamous snoops and Sango would probably want to know all about the lasting effects it had on her.

Damn what she wouldn't give for a good conversation starter at that moment.

It was a beautiful day; the skies, baby blue and cloudless, and the sun, high and brilliant. The yacht sailed quicker in the mornings than at night, creating a gentle breeze that distracted from the blaring heat.

From behind her, the door leading inside opened, but didn't close as if someone were standing in the doorway. Then it did close, but no one had come out.

She didn't have to look to know who it was.

Her grip tightened on her spoon for a moment before releasing the utensil all together with a sigh.

He hated her.

It wasn't the first time he'd redirected his path to avoid her, today.

Earlier, Sango had called her in to pick what she wanted to borrow from her for the day. Just as she'd turned the corner that would take her down the hallway that lead to Sango's bedroom, he'd done the same at the opposite end of the hall, reading a magazine.

She'd been terribly nervous, but decided to be brave and take the opportunity to apologize…._again,_ and make sure that there were no misunderstandings or awkwardness left between them.

She'd quickened her pace, and as soon as she'd done that he'd stopped in his tracks, looked up, enlarged his eyes, then turned back the way he'd come.

As he retreated, she did all she could to stop the hurt from forcing her face into a frown. Just when she thought they'd gotten closer…

She looked up to catch Sango staring in shock at the swinging door Inuyasha left behind him, before coming back to look at her.

"Kagome…"

_Oh god…here it comes_, she thought, already coming up with excuses for her distant attitude and Inuyasha's odd behavior.

"Would you like to tan with me?" Sango asked.

She looked up, and repeated as if they spoke different languages, "tan?"

Sango nodded and smiled. "We've got lounge chairs, and I've got a dozen bikinis. The weather is perfect, let's take advantage."

She got up and walked around the small white table to take Kagome's hand. Kagome allowed her to, proud that she only gulped a little.

_B-Bikinis?!_

*******

He was being so…_so_ stupid!

What the fuck was he, a pup?

Hell no, he was a grown ass man—err _hanyou_.

Inuyasha paced like a madman behind the door he'd just run through like a scared little bitch. To think, she actually had the power to drive him away in his own home, or yacht rather.

Every time he looked at her face—that unjustly gorgeous face—all he could see were half lidded dreamy eyes, and lopsided grins on a mouth that told him how nice he smelled. All he could feel was a soft cheek rubbing along his thigh as a small hand, with just the right grip, clutched his…

He ran into the wall, forgetting to turn in his pace.

Last night, after walking away—

_You ran!_ came an honest voice in his head.

He ignored it with a 'Keh!'

Anyway, after _walking_ away, with an uncomfortable rod between his legs that shouldn't have been that big for the little it had endured, he'd taken an icy bath that had him shivering for hours after that.

Just when he thought the worst was over with, his goddamn subconscious had decided to harass him too.

He'd dreamt of being a different man with fewer burdens.

In his dream, he couldn't feel the tons that weighed him down on a daily basis. He wasn't one of the many who regretted their past, but he lived for the present… the _now_.

In his dream, he stood at the tip of the yacht as the sun set beyond the horizon, unafraid to feel content and smile.

Then the wind carried her delectable scent to him, and he let out a satisfying growl.

Her laughter filled the air as she playfully ran away. He gave chase, and then came the good stuff…

Inuyasha kicked the wall with his knee, as he allowed himself to relive his dream for a moment.

He'd taken her, nice, _hard_, and fast, in every room on the yacht. There was no Miroku or Sango or Myouga to interrupt, and he'd not once pondered how the yacht was still moving.

Unlike now, he didn't think of the two of them as strangers. He didn't know her for all of a day, but more like a lifetime.

She'd told him how she felt when he was inside her…how it was like _nothing_ she'd ever felt before. Then he told her dirty things about how good she tasted and how fucking unbelievable she felt around him.

Then he made her ride him as he sat on the coffee table. When he told her to fuck him harder, she did. Her breast jumped in his face and he kept his mouth open to catch a taste of that hard nipple on his tongue.

His cock pulsated in sweet agony.

Why did he just do that to himself?

The door opened to reveal Sango followed by the literal woman of his dreams. Sango glared at him, which took him by surprise because she shouldn't have any idea as to what was going on.

Kagome just frowned, looking down and he felt like an ass. It wasn't her fault. She had no idea how she could affect him. It also wasn't her fault how the innocence of last night just made it that much more appealing to him.

"Umm, Kagome I'll meet you in my room in a second." Sango said to her, letting her hand go.

Kagome looked like she was going to protest and he really wished she did, but she just sighed, spared him a glance, nodded, and left.

As soon as Kagome turned the corner, his friend's whole expression did a one-eighty. She turned on him and shoved him into the wall, before he could even blink.

"What the f--"

"Shut up!" she yelled, and pointed an accusing finger at him.

He was glad his anger was quickly overriding his desire.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, sternly.

"That's my line! What you push me for?"

"Because you're behaving like a child!"

_I know that already!_

He took a calming breath. "It's none of your business, Sango."

Sango grinded her teeth together in frustration.

"So, she turned you on, big deal! You're a healthy unattached male and she's an attractive female, its natural so stop acting like it's some sort of catastrophe!"

"I'm not--"

"Yes you are! Look how sad you're making her, now she's blaming herself because you're too scared to talk to her about it."

"What would talking do…what would _happen_ after that, huh? We become buddies and I can't even look her in the eyes without fucking getting hard?!"

Sango shrugged, and the look in her eye let him know what her train of thoughts were.

"Well, maybe you two could… she's into you, Inuyasha--"

"NO." he cut her off before she could finish.

She sighed, "Inuyasha, it's about time--"

"I fucking said, no."

"But, Kikyou wasn't--"

"Are you fucking deaf?! I said no, Sango and you don't know anything about anything so stay the fuck out of it!" he snapped.

She looked shocked for a minute and he would have apologized if he didn't have so much anger and pride.

She swallowed and licked her teeth.

"Fine." She stated. "Don't get with her, just let her leave so she can get back to Kouga, do whatever the fuck you want, Inuyasha, but right now, I like her better than you so _stop_ making her feel bad because you're a jackass."

_Back with Kouga…_ his heart stopped for a good minute.

The girl in his dreams with Kouga…

Damn how he hated Sango at that moment.

He barely noticed her walking away, leaving him alone in the hallway.

*****

"I don't know about this, Sango." The girl said, fumbling nervously with the strings tied at her hip.

Sango smirked at her.

Kagome was too cute and naïve. She really had no idea how she would look to a heterosexual male in the all red bikini Sango had allowed her to borrow.

It was literally itty bitty and had less fabric than most granny panties.

The top was just two red triangles with strings that had little gold beads at the ends, and tied around her back and neck. It probably covered a third of Kagome's breast, that being the nipple part.

The bottom was worse, with the cloth only covering the triangle of her vagina, and a portion of her ass. Red strings, identical to the tops, kept it together, low on her hips.

Sango knew it was a bit much, and she was well aware of the less revealing suits in the back of her closet, but…

_Stupid Inuyasha, and I was going to actually feel bad about this, but you just made it so much easier…_

Inuyasha didn't know what was best for him, so she was taking it upon herself to show him.

Kagome was a great start. Inuyasha's unusual behavior when it came to her made her a great candidate to help stop all the brooding and self-inflicted guilt.

Call it women's intuition, but Sango just had a gut feeling that Kagome was special. Affecting Inuyasha like this was just too rare for it to be coincidence.

Mates are said to have the strongest of all sexual attraction to each other, it's what kept them faithful. No other could appeal to them more than their mate.

Even if Kagome wasn't the one and it's just some pent up desire being unleashed on her, Sango wouldn't regret this. Inuyasha needed to start somewhere to heal.

Kagome's been interested in him since the minute their eyes connected on this boat, and probably wanted them to happen just as badly. Sango was just going to use their sexual attraction against them… or to their advantage, depending on how you viewed the situation.

The little red two piece would definitely get Inuyasha's attention, not that Kagome didn't already have it, but it would certainly make it that much harder for him to resist.

"You look great, Kagome." Sango said, as she tied her own black bikini.

Hers was a two piece too, but instead of flimsy strings, she had thick straps.

Kagome frowned, "Are you sure you don't have anything else more…concealing? I thought you had dozens."

"Trust me, Kagome, the rest are either the same as that one or worse." She lied, grabbing her sun screen and squirting a good amount in her hand.

"Well, couldn't we switch then?" she pleaded, taking the bottle from her as she smoothed the goo over her skin.

"Nope, it's too late for that, now. Myouga says it's going to rain this afternoon."

Kagome looked like she would pout at any second.

"Relax, okay, it's not like we're somewhere where a whole bunch of perverts could see you. It's just us, Myouga, one pervert, and Inuyasha--"

Kagome started at his name. Sango smirked, pretending she didn't notice.

She grabbed some flip flops, giving a pair to Kagome. "Let's go."

Kagome bit her lip nervously, but nodded.

*****

He'd thought it was about the wolf.

Inuyasha sat at the outdoor table, eating the ramen he'd prepared himself. Throughout the whole four minutes of cooking time, he'd thought about what Sango said; the bit about Kagome leaving and going back to Kouga.

He'd pictured her running back into Kouga's arms once he came up with some lie good enough to lure her back to him. Then the scenes got worse and she was kissing him and he was holding her.

Slowly though, Kouga turned into another person, a nameless man.

Just as the microwave dinged, telling him his ramen was cooked, he'd realized…

It wasn't about Kouga.

He didn't want her running to any man that wasn't a silver haired, doggie-eared hanyou who lived on a yacht with two friends named Miroku and Sango, and whose name rhymed with _Flinuyasha_.

He hated Kouga that was for sure. He thought that that was the reason the two of them together had bothered him. He'd come to the conclusion that he didn't want Kouga being with _anyone_ that would make him happy, especially a nice girl like Kagome.

But he was wrong.

Now what the hell was he supposed to do?

The demon in him couldn't allow her to leave the boat without her vow to become a nun for the rest of her life.

He actually thanked god he was half human the moment he had that thought. His humanity is what kept him from tattooing her body with his scent and taking her bareback and doggy style.

Damn now he had the idea and image in his head. Way to go, like this wasn't hard enough.

After his epiphany, he'd decided to get back on speaking terms with her, because no matter how much he hated it, he actually liked her.

He didn't even know her last name, but he liked her.

Even if it weren't (though it obviously was) sexually, he liked her on a more civilized level. He liked her smile and laughter, and her kindness and openness to all of them. She didn't deserve the way he'd been shunning her out.

When he was able to clearly see her face in his head without associating it with breasts, soft bodies, and wet feminine parts, then he would go talk to her. It would take a while, but he was dead set on doing it before the day passed.

By now, he would've already finished his ramen, and he was actually pissed off. Now the girl was coming between him and his first love.

He went back to his breakfast, when Miroku who'd been missing, sat by him. He'd probably been with Myouga all morning. The monk had an interest in the boat's controls and would be useful in case anything should happen to their captain.

"Good morning." He said, in his usual cheerful manner.

Inuyasha just grunted and nodded in his direction.

"Wow, ramen for breakfast, what a surprise." He said sarcastically.

Miroku didn't say much after that, thankfully. Inuyasha was in no mood to talk about last night, and would probably start flipping tables if he had to.

Since the hanyou sat at the same chair Kagome had earlier, his back faced the door. Therefore, he was a little lost when the door opened and Miroku's eyes bugged out of his head as he breathed, "Whoa."

Then he looked behind him, and did a double take. 'Whoa' wasn't the right word, something like 'Holy shit!' or 'God damn!' were a little more appropriate.

His mouth went dry as he took her in, not even bothering to hide his gawking. Hell, if she didn't want people to stare, then she shouldn't have dressed like _that_.

About two steps behind, and to the right of Sango was Kagome with her hands together and in front of her.

The bitch was a _tease_!

Her beasts practically _jumped_ out of her "top" looking round and ripe and simply mouthwatering. Her abdomen was a smooth, flat plane with a tiny waste that flared out at sensuous hips that swayed when she walked, coming close enough for him to touch.

Her legs were blemish free and ran for miles. The way she tried to cover herself with her arms was so sexy too, as if she had a reason to hide any inch of herself!

She was perfect; the woman every man had fantasies about. As she passed their table, following behind Sango, she muttered a shy "Hi guys."

He didn't answer, but how could he with all the saliva in his mouth?

As he admired her round ass, Miroku replied, "Good morning, Kagome."

Inuyasha had forgotten all about the other male who could have been staring at all her perfections too.

He growled loudly at the happily engaged man, seeing him as a rival, not a friend.

Sudden rage bubbled up in his core at the thought of a male that _wasn't_ him, staring at her body in want, or their loins setting on fire at the sight of her bare skin.

"Relax, Inuyasha." Miroku said, knowing youkai habits too well to feel offended.

The cool voice distinguished the heat in his chest, bringing him out of his anger.

Inuyasha slammed the table with a fist, "Sorry." He mumbled; his voice still raspy from his growl.

Damn…

This _definitely_ meant something.

By nature, he was jealous and protective. It was the way of the dog demon… but never had he felt it so strongly. Not even with the one he _loved_. But here he was, about to attack his best friend over this stranger.

Though he should have, his disposition wouldn't allow him to think anymore on the matter. He just…_couldn't_. The possibility of Kagome being his… he just couldn't.

Inuyasha shoved his thoughts into his mental dumpster, retracing his thoughts back to the one of befriending her.

That's what he would do, just be her friend like Sango and Miroku had. The fixation he had with her would just have to shut the fuck up and sit in the backseat of his mind, or preferably get out all together. He very much doubted the latter would happen, though.

He simply couldn't have her, end of discussion.

Inuyasha sat back in his chair, watching as she basked in the sun, subconsciously refusing to leave his seat until she was done.

A/N- The last sentence rhymed hehe…

"Thank you so so very much" she said to all of her amazing reviewers, and to all who haven't, "REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!" She begged sweetly. 3

Hmm… still wondering if I should get a Beta…

FANFICTION- This chapter was meant to be uploaded sooner, but the stupid website kept giving me problems so it was late. Sorry, lol


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, so there.

**Before you read**, I would like you all to know that I've never been on a yacht… well except for this one time when I was like six, but it's needless to say that I don't remember much about it.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I'm pretty much guessing all the travel duration and whatnot, lol.

ALSO, Myouga is a very unimportant character for this fic and he probably won't be around for chapters at a time, and even when he does make his appearances, I'm telling you that he'll probably be saying a line or two. Hope that doesn't _bug_ you guys =]

See what I did there? 'Cuz Myouga is…a bug….

Sorry, I didn't think it was funny either

+ Chapter 6 +

Kagome woke up to a graying sky.

The clouds had rolled in, proving that Myouga's earlier prediction about the storm had been true. She wondered, warily, how bad it would be.

She swallowed the accumulated spit in her mouth, trying to remember when she had fallen asleep. It seemed that the gentle speed of the yacht and the calming sound of them slicing through the waters had lulled her to sleep.

Beside her lounge chair was Sango in her own, with an apparently sleeping Miroku wrapped around her. Kagome couldn't tell right away if she was asleep or not, because her sunglasses were on, but her complete stillness told her she was.

Kagome sat up slowly, arching her spine to stretch her back.

From her other side, came a deep, strangled sigh... or was it a groan?

She jumped in her seat when she saw Inuyasha, sitting in a table chair with his fists clenched tight, and his eyes directed below her head.

Wow…. Awkward…

She wasn't stupid, she did notice how his eyes had almost never left her body since she walked through the door in the scant little two-piece. It wasn't until after she saw those heated eyes, though, that she started to put things into perspective.

Last night, all she thought about was her own mortification from first falling on him, then _grabbing_ him. She'd thought the reason he'd been giving her the cold shoulder was because of the inappropriateness of it. That, maybe, he was appalled or offended…

But his eyes when she'd walked through the door had brought a glimpse of last night back to her mind with a new _major_ significance she had apparently overlooked.

When she'd woken in his lap, her hand had made direct contact with his crotch and for that split second, she had felt it grow with obvious masculine arousal. She didn't realize it before, but she was sure of it now, and when he'd abruptly gotten up to leave, there was further evidence.

How she had missed it before, she had _no_ idea… it was a pretty _impressive_ size.

But here she was, only a few hours later showing up in this _thing_. He probably thought she was shoving it in his face to mock him or something.

As the sun had warmed and caressed her bare skin, she'd wished she'd come to the realization before she agreed to dress… or undress rather in the bikini.

But if she was being honest with herself…she had to admit she _liked_ it. She liked the fact that he admired her body. Just looking at him, she could tell his body was something unworldly. He was handsome and strong and something about him just drew her in.

She didn't know what, and she wasn't sure if she should even allow herself to entertain thoughts of them on another level. She barely knew him, and he _surely_ didn't know her, much less _like_ her.

Under different circumstances, they could have courted.

She would've loved to go out with him, and get to know the deeper side of him that he kept so hidden from everyone else. She would've liked to be the one he told things to… who he was vulnerable around.

They were attracted to each other, it could have worked.

Under different circumstances…

Kagome really didn't want to call him out on the staring, considering how their relationship had been lately, but she was this close to slapping him. Any second now, he'd be drooling.

Instead, she repositioned her arms in an imperceptible way to cover up her half naked body.

The blocking helped because his eyes met hers right after.

As if he weren't gawking at her a moment ago, he asked, "Can we talk?"

Her eyebrows lifted for a moment of disbelief, before she smiled sweetly. It looked like they would be back on speaking terms.

She nodded once. "Sure."

And they got up at the same time, their bodies an inch apart. She almost choked.

It didn't help that he still smelled amazing, or that his sculpted chest practically ripped through his muscle-T and was brought to her eye level.

Gods, she wanted to lay her cheek against that chest…

He stumbled over the leg of his chair in his attempt to put distance between them.

However, instead of disappointing her like it would have, it made her laugh.

He turned and glared at her so quick.

"Oi! Not funny."

She snorted lightly, on a giggle, before clearing her throat. "Right, not funny at all."

He just glared harder before leading her away from their sleeping friends. Just when he was about to walk through the door, though, he stopped, and turned back to face her.

He looked hesitant for a moment before he looked away shyly. "Could you uh… put on a towel or something? The A.C is on inside, you'll catch a cold."

Kagome blushed prettily, knowing that that was only half the reason he wanted her to cover up.

Set up on a small table were a stack of brand new folded white towels. She grabbed one and wrapped it around her arms, holding the ends together from the inside. She took a second to admire how soft and fluffy the towels were, before following him in.

He led her to the 3-in-1 room that served as her bedroom, and leaned against the dining table.

Kagome decided that in order for this talk to go successfully, they should probably keep their distance so they wouldn't get… _distracted_.

So she hopped onto the peninsula, and locked her ankles together, waiting for him to start talking.

She looked up at him, only to find him staring at her with that _heat_ in his eyes again.

Oh damn…was she being sexy?

She checked her pose, unable to fund any hint of seduction in it. Seriously…what was with this guy? Had it really been that long ago for him? She supposed it was a good call on the towel then.

The thought made her laugh inwardly, but as he stared for what felt like forever, it wasn't so amusing. It was actually kind of… attractive.

More than attractive…attractive was too tame a word for how she was starting to feel the longer he stared.

Her stomach was turning to hot goo, and she blushed, looking down as he was sure to detect the subtle scent of her arousal as affectively as Kouga always had.

The knowledge that he was as—if not more—affected by her as she was by him, kept her from making up some lie to get the hell out of there.

Though she almost said fuck the knowledge when he inhaled deeply, making her blush insanely.

"Fuck." He rumbled, lowly.

Before she could stop herself, she said in a voice that was a tad bit whiny, "I'm sorry."

He looked surprised for a minute. She guessed he probably didn't realize that she knew exactly what he was smelling.

"I… uh-" she tried.

"Stop." He said, unexpectedly.

And her mouth snapped closed, and she pouted at his rude order.

He sighed heavily. "I wanted to apologize for ignoring you all day. You didn't do anything wrong so…yeah. Are we cool?"

Her head tilted to the side.

That was it?

Weren't they going to try to somehow get the sexual tension off their chests? Maybe that way it would be easier to ignore?

Also…on a subconscious level, way deep down that even she didn't notice it…she wanted them to talk about it. Not to try and ignore it though, but to _use_ it. Maybe they could grow closer with it… or something.

She _really_ wanted to talk about it….so she played dumb.

"But, why did you Inuyasha? Was it because of last night?"

Inuyasha wasn't one to lie; she knew that much.

He was silent for a good moment, looking at the floors.

"Partially, I just didn't realize that I…_liked_ you in that way until last night." He said, giving her a look just to make sure she knew what he meant.

She did.

"You do?"

"Yeah." He admitted, "But it's natural because I'm an unattached male and you're a healthy female."

That sounded a little like something he'd memorized and rehearsed. Well…since they were being honest…

"Well, I like you in that _way_ too Inuyasha."

Inuyasha bit his bottom lip, and looked up at her. "I know. But I wish you didn't, it makes it so much harder."

And those words stung her as bad as pouring pure alcohol on a bleeding wound. Her jaw dropped a little in hurt as her eyebrows drew together.

It was needless to say she hadn't expected that.

How could it feel like…like this when she barely knew him at all?

"Oh." She said softly, her eyes downcast.

He was in front of her in a second, yet she refused to look up at his face. She saw his hand lift, like he was about to touch her bare knee, but he dropped it before it reached mid-air.

"Look, we don't know each other well, and I'm bound to a life on this yacht and you're bound to a life off it. It wouldn't work."

She hadn't even though of that…probably because she didn't consider herself as someone who had a life.

"I understand." She felt brave enough to look at him, then, and she nodded. "You're right."

"Yeah, but there's no need to pussyfoot around each other, all we got to do is pretend last night didn't happen."

She smiled softly at him, "Agreed." She pulled one hand out from beneath her towel in offering. "Friends?"

He looked at her hand with a scowl.

"Yeah, you're going to have to _not_ touch me for a while, I'm not sure how I'll react." He stated, bluntly.

She looked at him incredulously, though the smile was still in place. "What? Inuyasha, it's just my hand."

She stretched it out further, and he took a giant step back. "Seriously, wench, no physical contact whatsoever for at least another 3 hours."

She hopped off the counter, and he looked ready to take flight at the slightest advancement. She laughed at him.

"Alright fine, but once those three hours are up, I'm hugging you." She joked.

"Keh, I'll jump overboard before that happens."

"Then, I'd swim after you, baka."

"You're sick, you know that. And while we're on the subject of what's allowed and not, you're not allowed to go tanning. Ever."

"What? A-Allowed? And who says you get to tell me what I'm _allowed _to do?" she sputtered.

"Wench, it's for your own good. If you do get the urge though, I insist you wear one of those hideous one-pieces Sango has."

She opened her mouth to retort on the whole him-telling-her-what-to-do thing, but his last statement brought another question from her.

"What hideous one-pieces?"

"One piece, as in a slip-on suit that covers a whole lot more than those scraps do." He spoke as if she were stupid.

"I know what they are, Inuyasha, I mean Sango said that all her bikinis looked like this, or worse."

"Feh! What the hell could be worse than that?"

She blushed, "Well, are you saying she has less revealing ones than this?"

"A whole bunch."

"But…that doesn't make any sense, why would she want me to wear this on purpose?"

Inuyasha looked confused for a second.

"You didn't pick that shit out?"

"No! Of course not."

He inhaled sharply in understanding, while she was still confused.

"The little bitch." He muttered.

"What?"

"Trust me, she definitely did this on purpose, knowing how it would piss me off."

Kagome immediately understood what he really meant when he said 'piss me off'.

"Oh."

"Yeah." They were silent for a minute, before he said. "You should go put something on."

She nodded once, "Sure, but you're kind of standing in my room. You're going to have to leave, because I wouldn't want to go '_affecting you'_ now would I?" she teased.

"Keh, don't get cocky wench."

"How can't I, knowing that at the slightest touch I could bring you to your knees?" she smirked, blushing only a little.

He laughed haughtily, "Don't think I'm not on to you. You can't fool my nose, and it's telling me that your fucking body wants me too."

Kagome was shocked at his candidness and she was sure she was red all over… then she checked herself. She was not going to let him intimidate her. His desire for her was written all over his tense body.

There were ways to prove to him that he didn't have the upper hand in this little dance of theirs.

She put her game face back on, and dropped her towel to the floor, daringly, bringing her hands to her hips.

Inuyasha visibly twitched, his face doing that sexy glaring thing again.

Kagome was feeling too brave to be timid. She took a few steps closer to him and was surprised that he didn't go running. She was smart enough to not get too close though.

"But there's one major difference between our feelings, Inuyasha." She said softly. "I'm not afraid of them."

He took a step closer, his breath fanning on the top of her head.

She hadn't meant to tempt the both of them like this, but it was fun…thrilling, even.

If he would just allow it, they _could_ get to know each other. If he would just touch her…pull her closer…_kiss_ her, then he would feel the spark and not want to fight it so hard.

But she didn't want to seduce him…

It was funny but quite unfair. He deserved to be rattled once in a while, like he was now, but to use this to get with him wasn't right.

The most they knew about each other was the definite shape and contours of their bodies.

Without resorting to seduction, she could probably show him the spark with friendship. Let him know he could trust her and they'd grow slowly from that.

His arms twitched, and it looked like he was about to touch her.

She blinked up at his beautiful golden orbs, before taking a step back and innocently bending to pick up her towel.

"Sorry, Inuyasha" she muttered, and the best she could think of to say was "I-I just really don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."

He blinked out of his daze, "Keh."

She half smiled. "Okay, so last night never happened right?"

"Right, and you keep that body of yours as covered up as possible, right?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Though I hate the thought of being _told_ what to do, I'll agree for the sake of our….friendship." she said, hoping he'd agree to the term.

"Fine"

She smiled brightly, and he smiled too, but stopped, she guessed, when he realized what he was doing.

"Okay, I'll change now."

He nodded once, "Do it in the bathroom so that no one could walk in on you."

It sounded a little too much like an order for her liking, but she smiled, "Good idea."

She walked down to the living area and picked up the clothes she'd been wearing earlier that she'd dropped there after changing.

Inuyasha watched her the whole time, and she spared him a warm glance as she left the large room.

Behind her, she could hear a loud "Fuck", making her smile in amusement.

What an interesting day and a half, it had been.

*****

"So you were unable to catch him." He stated; his voice in its usual neutral tone.

He growled, "No."

The assembly erupted in chatter, some even laughed.

"Silence." He ordered, loud enough for everyone to hear the command in his voice.

They all knew better than to mumble a peep.

Naraku smiled at how well they all obeyed him, though they couldn't see it in the darkness of the room. All they could see of him were the red unblinking eyes and the shape of his pale hands connected at the fingertips as he rested his elbows on the cherry oak table.

"It was only a matter of time before Kouga took his turn to fail as the rest of you had."

Kouga growled, and thumped his fist on the long table they sat around.

"I almost fucking had him!"

"Almost doesn't count, now does it Kouga. Inuyasha was always just too good for you, always a step ahead."

'NO! I would've had him if--" Kouga stopped himself, making all members of the Kyoudai turn questioning faces at him.

"If what Kouga?" asked Bankotsu, the eldest of the seven brothers in the Ketsueki Kyoudai.

"Tch." He looked down.

"What are you hiding, Kouga?" asked Lexy with her high pitched voice.

She was the newest member, an American lion youkai with the peculiar ability to read bonds and emotions. It was an odd and seemingly useless ability, but she was especially handy when it came to Naraku's bounty exchanges. She could always detect the deceivers and double-crossers.

Her ability was much more reliable than a dog's nose, which was based solely on scent. She could detect lingering attachments and bonds between people who merely needed to have thoughts in their head for her to base her senses on.

She was the only member with a gift, and she was the only one to have never met Inuyasha, probably making her the best opponent for him since he didn't know of her abilities, both fighting and special.

"Kouga is feeling apprehensive." She sang, followed by a feminine giggle.

"Apprehensive?" asked Naraku, his eyes like laser beams, piercing the top of Kouga's head.

A haughty chuckle, "He looks like he's about to piss himself!" exclaimed, Raizo, the agile spider youkai.

Raizo was a sociopath, with an odd fascination with knives, as he was usually seen twirling one between his delicately thin fingers.

"Shut the fuck up, Raizo, at least I got out of it with all _my_ arms."

Raizo hissed at him, gripping his blade in his pale hand.

His loss to Inuyasha was probably the most embarrassing of them all. His spider heritage gave him four arms, but Inuyasha used Raizo's own machete to chop two of them off, giving him only one left and one right… like a filthy _human_.

"Kouga," Lexy asked perplexed, "Why do I feel affection and worry in you?"

"Fuck you, Lexy!" he snapped.

She laughed, throwing her short black, Shirley Temple locks back in amusement.

"Stop it, both of you" Naraku drawled. "Tell us what you're hiding, Kouga."

Silence… the wolf shook with hesitation.

"I meant now, Kouga" He warned, as a sharp tentacle slid from the darkness like a serpent, across the table.

Naraku didn't even flinch, as if it weren't his will. The sharp tip of the tentacle rose like the head of a cobra, right before Kouga's chest and poised to strike directly in his heart.

"Alright," Kouga said anxiously, as he watched the sensuous sway of the tip, with a wary expression.

The tentacle relaxed at once, and slithered back into the darkness that surrounded their leader.

Kouga clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "There was…an interference."

There was stunned silence for a moment before Lexy gasped.

"You knew the intruder!" she shrieked, knowingly, her eyes widening like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. "That affection I sense…Was it that little girlfriend of yours?!"

Kouga flinched.

Naraku's eyes squinted, "I trust you took care of her…right, Kouga?"

He didn't look up from the dark wood, as he shook his head stiffly.

Naraku slammed his fist on the table, startling all of them since he usually never showed such passion.

"I couldn't! She got away!" he defended.

"Liar, Liar" Lexy said, "You wouldn't have handed her to us, anyway."

The tentacle shot back out again, with speed, this time. One second, Kouga was fine, and the next he had a thick tentacle wrapped around his neck.

"You, idiot," Naraku seethed. "Not only do we have the half breed to worry about, but because of your weakness, we have some wench, too."

Kouga choked, clawing at the tentacle uselessly, it just would not tear. He was getting blurry eyed.

"I swear on my own fucking life that if I hear about us from _anywhere _that I'm not supposed to, I will chop your useless head off, and feed the rest of you to my demons."

Naraku didn't ease his grip on Kouga's neck as he directed to the other nine of them, "I want the bitch found and killed, 250 grand to whomever finds her."

Just when the wolf demon was starting to pass out, Naraku released him. Kouga rubbed his sore neck, gasping heavily.

"Get us a picture of her and something with her scent, bring it tomorrow night," he said to Kouga, "all of you _will_ be here."

They all nodded in understanding.

"I--" Kouga said, still catching his breath, "I know where she is."

"Fuck, then spill it!" said Renkotsu of the seven brothers.

"I don't know _where_, exactly, I just know who she's with." They were silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Stop fucking around, Kouga." Raizo warned.

Kouga just glared at him, "She has to be with her only living relative; her uncle Toshii. He lives in the states."

Naraku watched him for a few moments, before blinking, probably for the first time the whole night.

"Very well," he said, "Kouga will bring us Uncle Toshii's address tomorrow night, along with the girl's picture and an article with her scent."

Kouga nodded once in agreement.

"We're done here." He announced and they all, with the exception of Lexy, took their leave from the abandoned lighthouse.

Last to exit the room, Kouga took a cautious glance at Lexy as she smirked and waved goodbye to him as he closed the door behind them.

"He lied?" Naraku asked, impassively once they were gone.

"Uhh, not _exactly_" She said, "but he was trying extra hard to keep me from detecting something, but I suspect he gave a partial lie." she reported.

Naraku nodded once, "We'll see how this turns out. Either way, the girl doesn't have the skills to hide from us…and after we kill her, Kouga will be next for lying."

Lexy giggled, happily, bouncing in her seat a little, "Oh, I can hardly wait, Naraku-_sama_"

He smirked at her.

A/N- Guys, I have been on vacation, sorry for the delay!

I'm a tad nervous about this chapter, please send me some feedback about how I did!

"Thank you so so very much" she said to all of her amazing reviewers, and to all who haven't, "REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!" She begged sweetly. 3

By the way, I am LOVING the death threats. It makes me feel loved, ironically =]


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, so there.

**Before you read**… well there's nothing to say really, but, enjoy it!

+ Chapter 7 +

"You graduated med school at 23!" Miroku nearly choked on his drumstick.

Kagome nodded sheepishly.

"So how many times did you skip?" he asked, intrigued.

Her head tilted to the side, "Skip? I never skipped class."

What gave him the impression she did?

He smiled, "I meant how many times did you skip grades/levels?"

She brought her biscuit to her lips and nibbled lightly at it.

"Umm… a couple of times." She mumbled.

"Ah, something tells me you're being modest dear, Kagome"

"No, really" she said, "I only skipped twice… in college… and twice in grade school."

"Whoa, you must be really smart, Kagome." Sango praised.

"A genius" Miroku seconded.

Kagome shrugged, embarrassed by all the attention.

She was almost grateful when Inuyasha insulted her with a, "Keh. She don't _look_ that smart to me." as he stuffed a whole biscuit in his mouth.

Kagome scrunched her face up as crumbs flew from his mouth, "And you don't _eat_ like you're a day over five." She teased.

Well that was kind of a lie… Inuyasha was eating like a fully grown male wilder beast as he had already eaten a full bowl of fried chicken, four biscuits, and two plates of mashed potatoes with gravy, all courtesy of their personal chef, Miroku.

They all snickered at her joke, with the exception of the amusingly offended hanyou, who glared at her.

An amplified boom of thunder resounded within the yacht, and Kagome flinched, gasping sharply. Though it was only raining lightly, the thunder had already begun. Luckily, no one seemed to notice her moment of cowardice, but Inuyasha, who raised an amused eyebrow at her. Fortunately, he didn't comment.

The tides had already shifted because of the approaching storm, and the small yacht was tipping and swaying a little too heavily for her tastes.

The light drizzle had started about two hours ago, waking Miroku and Sango from their nap on the sky deck. Miroku had immediately started preparing their meal after that. By unspoken agreement, the engaged couple wouldn't be informed of the little conversation she and Inuyasha had.

There was no need to get them involved with a situation that shouldn't have been happening in the first place. The fewer who knew, the quicker it would be forgotten, they figured.

And so, they'd been keeping their distance, as agreed upon, but joking with each other as pleasantly as they were with the others.

"So, Kagome, where'd you say you worked?" Sango asked, taking a sip of her Coke.

Kagome shook her head, "No, nowhere, I hadn't found a job yet since graduating."

"Oh."

"Yeah…. Can I ask you guys something?" She asked, seemingly out of the blue.

The three of them looked at each other for a spare second before Sango nodded, smiling at her. "Sure, what is it?"

"I was just wondering, what your plans were, I mean, are you headed somewhere, or..." they were all silent, though she could tell that they were somehow relieved by her question, as they relaxed and resumed eating.

She felt stupid, because no one looked ready to answer her. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business, I was just curious."

"Oh, no, Kagome, it's fine!" Sango rushed to reassure her.

"Yes, there is no need to apologize." Miroku said.

"Feh" scoffed, Inuyasha, as he continued with his meal.

"Ignore him" Sango said with a wave of her hand, "We don't have a plan, _exactly_, but we do head to the states every few months."

Kagome nodded, "Oh, Can I ask, why the states?"

They looked apprehensive again…

Inuyasha dropped his fork loudly on his plate, "To stock up on shit, why else, wench, now are you done questioning shit that's none of your concern!?"

Kagome's eyes widened, her eyebrows hidden under her bangs. Well she didn't expect that outburst, and she definitely didn't feel like she deserved it either, but she just nodded, and continued eating.

It was obvious he was lying to her; they could—as he put it—"stock up on shit" anywhere. Why did they need to go, specifically, to the states to do it?

If any of it were remotely her business, she would have argued back with him, but it wasn't, even though the purpose of her questioning was because a little part of her, somehow wished it were…

*****

Sad? Why the fuck was she sad!?

After his _harmless_ (well he thought it was harmless) little comment about things not being any of her concern, she'd been shocked, and he expected that. But then…afterwards he'd smelt her sadness, he hadn't expected that.

They'd already argued plenty of times since she'd been here, this time wasn't _that_ different ….at least he didn't think so. He had to be missing something major, something that he just couldn't figure out for the life of him.

She'd been subdued the rest of the night, making him feel super guilty. He just didn't understand the wench, period. Now she had him pacing like a madman in front of the door less threshold to their living room.

She was lazing on the couch, dressed and ready for bed, and he figured that for the sake of their newfound "friendship" he should probably figure out what was really bugging her… and if it were his fault then he'd… _apologize_.

He didn't want her to be upset…especially at or because of him.

He heard her sigh again making it about the fifth time since his three minute pace, and it motivated him to get in there and get those sighs out of her system.

Right when he stepped through the threshold, at the _exact_ moment his foot hit the wood of the living room, thunder, louder than any of the previous ones had been, ripped through the skies, and with it came a thick sheet of heavy rain that crashed onto the roof of the yacht.

Kagome sat up abruptly, with a small shriek. The boat's sway shifted dramatically, making the experience of riding on a yacht during a storm seem rather intimidating to a less experienced passenger… which Kagome definitely was.

She didn't even notice him watch her, with barely contained laughter as she dove under her sheets, turning herself invisible to the world, and the world invisible to her.

He took advantage of her blindness and crept silently to the light switch and flipped it off.

He almost lost it when he heard her whisper to herself, "Oh no, the lights went out!"

She stayed hidden beneath the sheets that offered pitiful protection form _anything_.

Before he reached her, lightning illuminated the dark room for a split second, before the boom of thunder was heard again.

She moaned, fearfully "Oh god, oh god, oh go-" she stopped and so did Inuyasha in his advancement.

He could swear he didn't make a sound.

"Inuyasha?" she asked as she slowly brought her beautiful raven-topped head out from under the covers.

He quickly relaxed his body in a way he hoped would convince her he wasn't trying to sneak up on her. How the hell did she know he was coming?

"Yeah" he said.

She blinked at him, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged dumbly, "Nothing."

Her bewilderment quickly and apparently turned to irritation as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well if you don't mind, I'd rather cower alone and where no one can see me." And she rather roughly, threw the sheet back over her head, her cute rump sticking out like a mound in the sheets.

He smiled, "What are you so snippy about, bitch?"

"It's nothing" she said abruptly.

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Really." She said.

"You sure?" he asked, for the fun of it.

She huffed, "Will you stop asking questions about shit that doesn't concern you!?" she snapped.

He was taken aback by the curse for all of a second, before he sighed, "Well since you went and fucking quoted me, I guess it does concern me."

She didn't answer, but her butt did wiggle a little when more thunder came. He really wanted to reach out at that moment, and pet it. He didn't exactly want to do it for the sexual satisfaction; he just wanted the liberty to touch her like that, even if it were just to soothe her.

"You're such a baka, you know that." She said, her voice muffled from the sheet.

He huffed, "So I've been told, once or twice."

He heard a snort, and smiled genuinely, feeling safe to do so since she couldn't see.

"You laughing?" he asked, as he came around the couch and sat on the arm rest.

"No." she lied.

He rolled his eyes.

"Look if you're that upset about what I said, then, fine I take it back!"

She was quiet for a second before she asked in a little voice, "you do?"

"Well…yeah, why're you so upset about it though? I say shit like that all the time."

She sighed a little guiltily, "I know, I just…I thought…never mind it's stupid"

"Keh, liar"

She didn't take his bait, and he had to admit he was a little disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha"

He blanched, his face flushing a little, "What for?"

"For…making you feel bad. Honestly, what you said wasn't what upset me, really."

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah" she said softly.

Then he did something that he usually wouldn't have done. Instead of goading, guilting, or baiting he just asked…

"Then what upset you?"

She didn't answer him right away. She was rustling under her blanket, about to come out...

"I--_eek_" more thunder and swaying.

She dove back under there so fast; he had barely seen the black of her hair before she was back, wrapped in her comfort zone.

"Why does thunder have to make the boat move so _roughly_?!" she demanded.

His lips quirked in amusement, but he didn't want to outright laugh at her; she probably wouldn't appreciate that very much.

"It's really not as bad as it feels." He told her.

"I severely doubt that, Inuyasha."

"It's actually less scary, outside…well as long as you don't get electrocuted."

She gasped.

"I'm joking" _…kinda._

"Sure." She said, sarcastically.

They were silent… "You wanna… see?"

"See?" she asked disbelievingly.

He stood up.

"Yes, as in outside"

"Outside…during the _storm_?"

"Yup."

"Inuyasha, are you out of your mind?" She asked with complete seriousness.

"I'm just trying to show you that it isn't worth being afraid of."

"Okay, and can you explain to me how on earth going into the heart of that monster outside, will help me?"

He shrugged, "Trust me."

She slowly flipped the sheet off her head.

"Trust you?" she asked, with a sort of endearing look in her eye that made his cheeks warm.

He nodded once.

More thunder, and she jumped, but to his amazement, she didn't dive back under.

"I-I don't know." She said.

He groaned.

He couldn't believe what he was about to say, but he thought it was worth it… the wench probably wouldn't get any sleep otherwise.

He stretched his hand out to her. "Here, climb on my back."

Her eyes widened to a comical size.

"What?"

"Just do it... if it'll make you less afraid to go out there, that is."

"It would, but…are you sure it's a good idea?"

He breathed heavily, "Nope, but you won't want to be here when Miroku and Sango start goin' at it."

She giggled, "Well, what about the whole no-touching thing?"

"It's been three hours; I think I can handle your scent."

She bit her bottom lip, and then nodded, "Okay, then."

She looked at his still outstretched hand, and slowly retrieved hers from under the sheet.

As soon as he saw it, he didn't waste any time; he grabbed it and hauled her over his back in one quick move.

"Whoa." She breathed her disorientation.

He smirked cockily.

"Besides, if you see me get all wild and start humping things, you'll know to run." He half joked.

She giggled lightly as she righted herself on his back. "Thanks for the heads up." She whispered in his fuzzy ear.

It wiggled under her breath, sending sparks of sensation, bursting down his spine. He hoped against hope, that she hadn't felt him tremble.

"Keh, hold on as tight as you can" was his last warning.

She hadn't been able to ask why, before he was racing to the nearest exit.

His fierce speed had her clinging to him like a baby monkey.

The feel of her soft body pressed so tight to him is what made him realize that this might not have been one of his brightest ideas. He could feel every curve and crevice lodged snugly on his back.

He realized, with no small amount of horror, that she wasn't even wearing a bra. The bumps of her nipples were flattened against his rippling muscles, as he ran down the narrow hallways, easily avoiding any obstacles.

They ran past a hallway mirror, showing him a flash of white that was Kagome, and he wanted to dump her and forget the whole idea. Kagome in a white nightgown with no bra… plus rain…. equals an erection the size of a baseball bat.

He slowed down as they neared the exit, still running, but not as fast.

Because there was just _no_ way he was going out with her like _that._ His mind worked with what he could tell her. Could he really just say, 'Hey I know you aint got no bra on, cuz I could feel your hard nipples on my back, so you put something on, if you know what's good for you'?

Thank the gods; she tugged on the material at his shoulder.

"Wait, Inuyasha." She said.

He didn't need to be told twice. He halted completely, and removed his arms from underneath her knees, making her land with a thud on her feet.

"I should put on a jacket, or something, first."

He didn't answer her, he just walked a few steps down the hallway, to a wooden double-door closet where he took out a purple hoodie that belonged to Sango.

"This should be good enough, it's still warm outside." He said handing it to her.

She slipped it on with a grateful smile. After zipping it up and pulling the hood over her head, she held her arms out to him, like a child waiting to be picked up. He managed to suppress a smile as he turned his back to her and crouched a little, allowing her to climb.

She tightened her hold on him when another round of thunder boomed. The sound was even louder this time since they stood right before the exit.

He walked to the door, and with each step he took, her hold on him tightened. He was eternally grateful to the thick barrier the sweater created.

"It's less scary outside, right?" she asked, her voice ranking high on the panic scale.

He smirked. "Yeah"

"Okay…" she said nervously.

"We don't _have_ to do this, you know."

"I know… but if I don't piss myself, I think I might actually enjoy it."

He nodded, "Alright, here we go." He warned, and he unlocked the door, easily controlling it against the harsh wind that fought to push it wide open.

Tiny droplets of rain flew in their face, like a mist.

"Hold on, okay." He said "Here's the fun part."

"Okay." She said.

He braced himself to spring, "By the way, how big a fan are you of roller coasters?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder, looking at him quizzically. "I love them, Inuyasha. Why?"

"Good, then you'll really enjoy this."

She held on tighter at his words, and all the muscles he'd tensed, just burst in a show of power as he sprang out the door.

*****

He was so graceful.

Inuyasha shot like a dart as he ran beneath her, radiating confidence in his movements, and she couldn't help but trust him completely.

At first, she couldn't even bring herself to open her eyes. But then… curiosity sparked as the rain sprayed on her face in tiny wet kisses, and the wind swept her hair up in a jumbled mess. So much for the hood…

She'd taken a daring peek, and was amazed at how everything blurred past them in night-darkened shadows. She felt brave enough to bring her head from his shoulder, all together, and watched disbelievingly at where he was running them.

They were _leaping_ on the furniture!

He took them atop the tables, chairs, and lounge sofas, miraculously, not breaking, or even disturbing them. She barely felt them land, before they were up again, flying to the nearest thing stable.

They moved with both speed and grace, and it felt as if she hadn't known the meaning of the words until then. Her stomach dropped, as they plummeted and she gripped him tighter, but not with fear this time… with exhilaration and excitement.

A wide smile bloomed across her face, as she looked ahead of them. They were running on an empty bar's countertop, and the next stable thing to land on was a tiny table that was a good distance away.

Even with his incredible speed and strength, the chances that he would land on it looked pretty slim…but still… she couldn't wait till he tried. She held on tight to him, anticipating the leap he would make any second now.

Her smile widened, her guts twisting with enthusiasm. She reached her hand around his head, and smoothed his wet bangs back so he could see better and the water wouldn't drip into his eyes.

He grunted in appreciation, lengthening his strides, before he sprang… no, he _flew_.

In mid air, Kagome had never felt such pure delight in her entire life. As if she were really on a roller coaster that was about to take a daring plunge, she unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and threw them in the air.

"Whooooo!" she couldn't help but enthuse, followed by her joyous laughter.

It was like slow motion, waiting to see if they would make it to the other side.

Inuyasha kicked his legs out, one at a time and he did it with a smug grunt. They served their purpose in helping prolong their suspension. Then, they landed hard on the table in a crouch with Inuyasha breathing heavily, and Kagome trying to stifle her giggles.

When they were absolutely still, it was like the rain had just begun pouring because it was then that they really started to feel and hear it.

He still held her by the legs when she brought her arms back around his neck.

"Wow." She breathed. "…I barely noticed the thunder."

He chuckled once…and then again, making her giggle along with him.

He stood up, and stepped off the table, landing on his tip toes, making her realize for the first time that he was as barefoot as she was. How he'd managed to perform those miraculous stunts without slipping, she'd never know.

He carried her beneath the awning over the door, making sloppy noises as he stepped in puddles. Once they were protected from the rain, he released her knees and she reluctantly slid off his warm body.

Next to them, were the white towel stack from before and she took one for each of them.

He took it with a ghost of a smile of gratitude on his lips, and they dried themselves in silence.

"Thanks for that, Inuyasha, I feel much better now" She said sweetly.

"Keh, I told you so, and you doubted me." He reached out to grasp the doorknob, and pulled it open for her to step through first.

She went through with a smile, "Actually, it's because I trusted you that I came."

"Keh" she heard him say behind her. She turned around and waited as he locked the door behind him.

He looked a little surprised to find her standing there, looking so patient, just to have him walk beside her.

She only continued, once they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

"So it wasn't so bad, huh?" He asked conversationally.

She shook her head, unzipping the hoodie as they approached the closet Inuyasha had gotten it from. Before removing it completely, though, she checked to make sure her nightgown wasn't soaked through, as she had feared would happen.

Luckily, it was only damp, and didn't hug her skin at all.

"It was better than 'not so bad', Inuyasha" she said, hanging it back up. "It was probably… the most exhilarating experience of my life."

He smiled. "Keh, you need to get out more."

They began their leisurely paced walking again. "Like you're one to talk, Mr. Live-On-Yacht man" She joked.

"I'm not here by choice, bitch." He didn't say it angrily or anything, but the comment gave her pause, fortunately it wasn't a noticeable one.

"Then..." she said, inquiringly, "Why are you here?"

She really hoped he wouldn't call her out, or be offended by the question because that was the last thing she wanted to do after the fun they'd just had.

"Because…" he began, and she was glad when his voice didn't sound harsh. "Because, the outside world is too much for us to deal with"

She stared up at him, considering his words, and for some reason, the night at the docks came to her mind. The night Kouga, her "bounty hunter" ex-boyfriend, had tried to kill him… could he be living on the yacht because he was in some kind of danger that he couldn't deal with?

Could Kouga _still _be after him, and he isn't able to live on land because it would be too risky?

She tried real hard not to let the distress of her thoughts show on her face, so she cleared her throat before she asked…

"But…don't you ever miss it?"

"I used to, but we've been living this way for three years now, so I'm used to it. Besides, what is there to miss?"

She looked at him sadly, "Didn't you have anyone special to you, or a family?"

A dark look crossed his features, but was gone as quickly as it had come. "Keh, no"

She wished he would've divulged more into the topic, but he didn't, either because he didn't want to, or because they had already reached the living room entrance.

"Well, this is you." He said, facing her.

Despite the mood, she smiled, "It feels like you're dropping me home after a date."

"You consider that a date? You really do need to get out more."

She giggled, and shoved his shoulder lightly.

"Sadly, it was better than any date I've ever been on." She said.

He looked at her charmingly for a moment, before looking away and disappointing her to no end.

"So, you gunna be able to sleep now, or are you still too afraid?"

She lifted an eyebrow, alluringly, "Would you stay if I told you I was?"

"I'd run before I couldn't say no."

"Don't worry," she said, "I think I could handle it…though I usually prefer going to bed with the TV on, but I can't because the power's out."

He looked contrite, "About that…" he reached an arm around the corner of the threshold and flipped the switch, illuminating the large room.

Her jaw dropped, in confusion.

"I turned it off because I wanted to scare you." He confessed.

She looked like she wanted to yell at him, but then she just breathed deeply, as if she were too tired to deal with it.

"Baka" Was all she said.

He smirked, toothily.

Then, she couldn't help it, even though it was taking a giant leap from the zone of friendship they'd created…

"Forgive me" was her last warning before she reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him close.

What the hell did he wear that made him smell so good, and what, did it really last twenty-four hours?

She didn't want to let him go, and she barely heard him say "uh…" awkwardly before one arm went across the small of her back.

Just before the hug got awkwardly long, she let go, with a reluctant sigh.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha." She said, and without waiting for a response, she walked into her room as quickly as possible.

Despite the ruckus of thunder, and the frightening sway of the yacht, she went to sleep soundly that night.

A/N- As always….

"Thank you so so very much" she said to all of her amazing reviewers, and to all who haven't, "Please do review!" She begged sweetly. =]


	8. Chapter 8

Making it home with only a couple of near-accidents, was nothing short of a miracle for the wolf youkai.

He'd driven home from the unfamiliar meeting point while his heart raced at a speed fit for cars and his mind strained on everything _but_ the very complicated road in front of him...it was a pretty difficult task.

He'd lied to the Ketsueki Kyoudai; an act that's damn near suicidal.

As Kouga pulled into his expansive driveway, he tried to find the logic behind the plan he'd thought of during the few moments Naraku's tentacle had tried to squeeze the life out of him.

He was quickly finding that the logic didn't weigh quite as much as his life.

He sighed heavily, and thumped his head against the back of his seat.

Kagome really did have an Uncle Toshii living in the states, and that's how he was able to trick Lexy. He'd figured the dog shit would have to take her there eventually, right? Where else would she go?

The only thing he hadn't mentioned was that Kagome was with said dog-shit, and wouldn't make it to her uncle's for at least four weeks, _if _that's where they were bringing her. He obviously couldn't be at fault if they assumed Kagome had already made it there on her own… right?

Kouga slammed a fist on the dashboard.

No matter how innocent he tried to make it sound in his head, the facts still remained. He was a dead man walking, and Kagome was just as lifeless.

The logic, of course, was to spare her, or at least delay her death.

All of the Kyoudai would be searching for her, but only he knew she was with Inuyasha and that gave him a slight advantage.

That, of course, didn't mean much. Inuyasha was almost impossible to track because of his stupid, little untraceable boat that never showed up on radar.

That's why, as soon as he'd regained consciousness after their run-in, he'd tripled his efforts in tracking the mangy mutt by risking suspicion to have nearby, low rate criminals keep a lookout for a silver-haired hanyou, and whatnot.

If it weren't for the incident of 1971, Inuyasha would have been captured and buried, long ago.

That was back when The Ketsueki Kyoudai reigned in the U.S. They were elite, and invincible with a council of up to a hundred. Everything was—without a question—theirs. After a mere decade of the lime life and power, an elaborate set-up imprisoned them all, putting the Americans' fears to rest.

They were deported back to Japan, their homeland. Eventually, through bribes, top-notch lawyers, blessed paroles, and even more bribes, ten of them were granted clemency; the seven brothers, Naraku, himself, and Inuyasha. Raizo and Lexy hadn't joined them yet.

Because of the downfall of 1971, the Ketsueki Kyoudai has had to stay so underground, that a hint of knowledge to any outsider would mean immediate death. No questions asked. Now, as far as most Americans knew, The Ketsueki Kyoudai was a sinister band of criminals who were banished decades ago. The Japanese knew even less, believing that the Kyoudai was just a scary story. Their infamy in the states is what kept them from sneaking back.

Since Inuyasha had left them only three years ago, that meant the dog-turd was the only one with as much knowledge of the Kyoudai as the present members. His demise should have happened long ago, but the incident made it impossible to trace him. The reason was simple, and quite trivial; not one of them knew how to maneuver a vehicle that wasn't a car.

If it were not for the incident, any one of their human lackeys could have done the job for them—taking any one of them to Inuyasha's boat for the job to be done.

But now, they couldn't just take a boat or helicopter to kill Inuyasha because that would obviously be as good as labeling 'I'm an assassin' across the forehead, showing it to the pilot/captain and blowing the secret that is the Ketsueki Kyoudai.

The alternative, of course was to learn how operate the complicated machinery of planes and ships, but for never-changing, century old demons, to master ever-changing technology, was difficult, to say the least.

Instead of going through the trouble, the decision was made to let Inuyasha come to them. After a year, and apparently no snitching, it was figured that he probably wouldn't any time soon, making his capture that less urgent. Besides, he could not stay on sea forever, obviously. They would have numerous chances to destroy him when he needed to restock…

But the mutt now had _his_ Kagome. _His_ woman; the only mortal female he'd ever met that wasn't spineless, greedy, or pathetic.

Not to mention that she had the ability to set his loins on fire like no other had. Seriously. Others have tried, and some have even came close, but the night he fucked her hours after some fantastic whore for comparison, he knew that no one could do him in like she could.

If it weren't for the fact that he'd never lost control of his beastly side while having sex with her, he would have believed her to be his mate with how much she could turn him on. However, that wasn't the case, but still… it was hard to imagine a bitch even coming close to Kagome's level.

She was worth way too much to be in the muddy hands of the mutt… or the Ketsueki Kyoudai for that matter. It was either him, or no one. If she had died in that explosion by his hands, he knew he would've been able to look past the loss, but for the Kyoudai to destroy what was rightfully his…

Kouga shook his head, a grimace set on his face.

He would have her again before it came to that.

He had to.

Not a damn if, and, or but, about it.

Kouga abruptly got out of his car, with a harmless slam to his door, and strode into his house with purpose in his step.

*****

Kagome had woken up before anyone else, despite going to sleep past midnight because of her little "date" with Inuyasha.

The rain had stopped, leaving the yacht shrouded in a thick fog coated with the fresh scents of passed rain mixed with open sea.

She'd gotten up from her couch this morning and walked over to the wide windows of the living area to admire the beauty of the white mist that lingered mystically over the waters.

It was then that she was overwhelmed with the need to show her newest companions how grateful she was to them for not only their hospitality, but for the beauty of this trip that her humdrum life desperately needed.

That was why she was in the kitchen, nearly an hour and a half later, preparing a full breakfast for them. Luckily, she had experience preparing Western foods, since that was basically all that was there.

The table was already set with a plate of omelets, a plate of fresh bagels smeared with melting butter and another smeared with cream cheese, a basket of quick and easy chocolate chip muffins, baked to perfection, a tray of freshly sliced fruit, and a pitcher of lemon iced tea and a kettle of coffee on the stove, just in case anyone was in the mood.

All that was left were the pancakes. Kagome had already made three large ones, and was waiting on the last that had begun to brown on the pan.

Looking at all the displayed food, made the idea look a little stupid since they were on a yacht, and had a limited source. She hoped, that they wouldn't chastise her for the gesture she'd hoped would please them. Besides, Inuyasha ate up to three people's worth of food.

Kagome sat, keeping an eye on the last piece to her surprise as last night played over in her mind, making her stomach flutter and her lips crease in a smile.

She remembered how the wind blew in her hair, and the rain kissed her face.

Inuyasha was a burst of pure energy and his aura; vibrant. He was a bundle of excitement, and she felt no short amount of gratitude that he'd shared some of it with her last night. After coming in from the rain, she had wanted nothing more than to press her lips to his, and feel the warmth of his body, meld against hers.

If only she knew less, but unfortunately she knew better... that Inuyasha was not ready for that. He may be losing most of the edge he'd held, but they were miles away from _that_ kind of a relationship.

At first, Kagome just thought that the gruffness and wariness was all part of his nature… that maybe he didn't want to acknowledge the obvious attraction between them because he was just a naturally "Say No" kind of guy.

But now, she wasn't so sure. The secret of why Inuyasha and his friends lived on a boat was reason enough to believe that something significant had happened to them, but last night had further convinced her.

When she'd asked him if he had anyone special to him, or a family, he'd said no, but the glare he'd given the ground begged to differ. He looked so hurt and anguished, it was no wonder he didn't want to tell her about it. It may have been something so damaging that it closed him off completely to the idea of romance.

Kagome frowned, and moved to flip the pancake, distractedly.

If only she had more time with him… with _them_. Inuyasha lived with a burden that he did not deserve, and she wished more than anything, to free him of it. But what could _she _do? Okinawa was approaching and she'd leave these new friends of hers behind, probably, forever.

Kagome wondered idly what it would be like to stay with them. She had nothing else going for her, no real place to return to. She honestly wouldn't mind it at all, not to mention she'd be with Inuyasha… as a friend or whatever he wanted.

The thought quickly turned into a dream, and became that much more far-fetched. There was no way she could stay. How could she possibly expect them to take her in as one of them, to feed her and support her? It was ridiculous, childish, and rude to even suggest it.

Besides, they could just be waiting to get rid of her. Though Kagome doubted it, their generosity could be set to last only until they get to Okinawa. Then they'd give her a final wave, and be off like she'd never even happened.

Her good mood was quickly vanishing into thin air, when Myouga strode in, whistling a tune she wasn't familiar with.

She stood to greet him, and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Myouga Jii-chan."

The flea demon looked up at her, and stopped short when his eyes landed on the food. He didn't even answer; he was too busy drooling at the sight of it all, his already large eyes, widening a fraction.

"I made breakfast for you all." Kagome went to turn off the stove, and took the finished pancake out of the pan.

"How thoughtful of you, Kagome, It looks wonderful!" He praised, already moving to take a set closest to the fresh fruit. Being a flea, he must love fruit.

She smiled brightly; that was one down, three more to go.

She was taking a bottle of syrup out of the fridge when the engaged couple walked in, hand-in-hand.

"Good morning." Sango said as her eyebrows rose in question.

Kagome set the bottle on the center of the table, and twisted the hem of her nightdress nervously.

"I thought Miroku might want a break from cooking all the time… and I was up pretty early, so I thought I would just…"

Sango cut her off with a touched smile, sparing her from the embarrassment of sputtering an excuse. "Aww, Kagome you didn't have to do that."

"It really wasn't a bother, and it's the least I could do."

Miroku waved a hand, dismissing the idea, "You don't need to feel indebted to us, but this is much appreciated."

Kagome sighed in relief. "Well, grab a seat you guys, you came just when I finished."

They didn't hesitate to do as she asked. Kagome grabbed cups and plates for them all before joining them around the table.

She had to admit that she really outdid herself on those omelets. They were delicious, if she did say so herself.

******

Inuyasha scrubbed his body with his usual brand of soap, relishing the heat of the shower as it sprayed in torrents, down his chilled body.

It felt highly satisfying on his numbed skin, which was slowly and thankfully increasing in temperature. If he were a human, he would probably have hypothermia from the freezing water he'd doused himself with as soon as he'd woken up from that dream. Again.

He'd thought the first one was bad, but last night's dream was _excruciating_.

This one had started out so innocently that he should have realized that—with Kagome there—something catastrophic was about to go down.

They'd been sitting around the television, watching something entertaining he assumed because Miroku laughed every so often. But with all the events preceding that moment so prominent in his mind, Inuyasha couldn't be sure if the T.V had even been on.

Next minute, Kagome—for only god knows what reason—is wearing a schoolgirl uniform... a _schoolgirl?!_

No one, but him, found it odd that she was wearing something that wasn't Sango's and so dangerously revealing. And what the hell… _what_ was his subconscious thinking? Since when did he have a thing for schoolgirls?

_Since you found out Kagome was brilliant in school._

Inuyasha growled low as he turned his head up to the spray of water. For the sake of all those hormonal teens, he hoped that she went to a public school, or at least a school with a more conservative uniform.

She wore red lipstick on her lips, and red nail polish on her fingernails. He knew this because she raised one to him, beckoning him to come follow her. He didn't know where she wanted to go, but the promising look in her eyes told him it wouldn't be somewhere he would mind going.

So, like a dummy put under a lustful spell, he followed her to a room he was positive wasn't on the yacht. It was dimly lit with about fifty scented candles, but the ornaments didn't carry the flowery smells you would buy at the store. Each of them smelt like her.

One inhale smelt like a dozen Kagome's… one inhale and he was hardening to the point of pain.

Inuyasha would've woken himself up at that point, if he could, because nothing short of waking up would stop him.

She walked closer to him, stopping an arm's length away. She bit her bottom lip, and twirled a lock of hair around one finger.

He quickly wrapped his hand around the knot that held her shirt beneath her breast, and tugged, sending her body and lips crashing against his. He was staining his lips red with her lipstick, but he didn't care.

He got rid of the white top in no time, not at all surprised to find her breast bare. It was his dream after all, and if things were really going as he wanted, then she had no panties either.

In his last dream her nipples were light brown, but this time, they were a rosy pink. It made no difference to him; they still smelled and tasted the same. But, by the time he was through with them, they were definitely bordering maroon.

Her little outfit ended up being irrevocably tattered, but she didn't mind. She barely noticed.

In this sinful dream, he'd ended up eating her out for all she was worth. He was high off her scent, and drunk with her juice, gladly overdosing and risking death to keep her right where she was. His light nibbles to her clit, almost got too rough because of his enthusiasm.

When he did enter her, her walls had invited him home, like they'd known him all his life. With just the right grip, they'd held him captive inside her, rippling and convulsing as he shoved into her with a force he probably didn't even have in reality.

Since waking up in sweat and his own cum, he'd replayed the dream over and over, hoping to desensitize himself to it. The plan wasn't working so well, and he knew because of two reasons; one, his balls still clenched when he thought about it and two, he'd already been showering for _two. _Fucking. Hours. More than half of which was spent in zero degree water.

He might as well face it.

Kagome was haunting him when he was awake, and while he slept. There was nothing he could do about it since ignoring her was no longer an option, whether he wanted it to be or not.

The bitch.

Inuyasha stepped out of the shower, pissed he'd just wasted two hours, especially since delicious food had been prepared. He could smell warm bagels in all their baked glory.

He didn't think Kagome could really pull off cooking the five of them a real meal. He'd heard her shuffling around on his way to the shower; opening cabinets and setting bowls. He'd shaken his head, expecting her to prepare a few decent pancakes, but it smelled like more than that.

Quickly shaking out his damp hair, and deeming it styled, he threw on a long sleeved white t-shirt and some red jersey shorts before practically flying into the large room that housed the delectable scents of food and Kagome.

They sat, the four of them, looking as relaxed as ever, laughing and smiling while eating a breakfast fit for a king. _Hello_, they were missing one very important member! The cute hanyou who paid the damn bills was ignored as if they didn't even notice he hadn't joined them.

He couldn't necessarily blame them, he had been preoccupied for the better part of the morning, but he at least expected Kagome to talk them into waiting for him. On top of that, all the large plates were nearly emptied and left in disarray… completely unlike how Kagome must have prepared it.

He fought hard not to frown.

Presentation was important; food that looked just made was always better appreciated, but the mess his friends had left behind looked like a bunch of used leftovers.

Kagome finally spotted him when her eyes started roving around the room, looking at everything _but_ his smirking demon slayer friend, while a blush crept up her cheeks.

Her face lit up when she saw him, her mouth breaking into a smile so wide, that one might think it would never get back to normal. Her beautiful blues shone as if there were actual candlelight's, lit beneath her irises.

She stood up, while everyone else just spared him a glance before continuing with whatever they were doing.

He hoped that they were all oblivious to the loud thudding of his heart which drowned out all of their noise in his ears, and allowed him to focus on the girl who stared at him as if he were giving her all the answers to life itself; the secrets, and the wonders.

Inuyasha had no idea how he must've looked to the rest of them as time stood still for him and this new girl they'd found, but on the inside he was a ticking time bomb of sensation. However, instead of exploding, he felt as if he'd just melt into a hot puddle of silly putty, completely at her mercy, and begging her to do with him as she pleased.

It must have been something in his eyes, because the next minute, Kagome flushed a deep scarlet and looked away from him.

She toyed with her nightdress a little,—the same one with the animated half-moon—doing the innocent little girl routine again.

"I-I made breakfast this morning… in—uh, in return for everything you've all done for me." She said, barely able to look him in the eye.

_In return?_

He was about to tell her what she could do with her "_in return_" when Miroku intercepted, "We've already told her she doesn't need to feel she owes us a thing. After all, we only did what any Good Samaritan would do."

Inuyasha looked back at her, "What he said. Don't start going crazy because you feel like you owe us or anything."

She smiled lightly, before nodding once. "Okay, so how about from now on, we just call this stunt of mine a… show of gratitude?"

His eyebrows drew together.

She read his expression clearly for what it was. She sighed heavily, "Too heavy still? Then how about I just say that I was bored this morning, decided to cook and got a little carried away?"

He smiled a little, "better, wench."

He moved to sit at the table, pulling the plate of bagels to his chest. The frown was threatening to return; the plate only had two halves left and they were cooler than he usually liked them.

Sango giggled, while biting into a muffin. "Early bird catches the worm…" she teased.

He grimaced at her, and brought a cool bagel to his lips. As soon as he bit into it, Kagome put a small hand on his arm, unknowingly stilling not only his hand, but his heart too.

He looked up at her smiling face with a raised eyebrow. She didn't say anything; she just brought her other hand from around her back and placed a foil-wrapped plate before him. His eyebrow slowly eased back to its natural place.

When she walked back into the kitchenette and opened the oven, he unwrapped the foil to find four perfectly warm bagels, with an omelet and two muffins on the side.

She came back to him with another plate that he unwrapped to find a thick pancake, crispy on the edges but soft in the center, just like he liked it.

His mouth slid open slowly, and for a split second he wasn't sure if everyone had gotten silent, or if he just couldn't hear them anymore because of his lack of attention.

"I kept it in the oven for you so it would be warm when you were ready." She said, busying herself with pouring him a glass of juice. He didn't have any trouble hearing _her_.

"Keh…" he scoffed, but it didn't sound right to his keen ears.

Sango rolled her eyes, "What he means to say is 'Thank you Kagome, even though I'm a lousy dog and don't really deserve it."

That got some of his attention, and he glared at Sango as a low growl bubbled in his chest, and spilled from his lips. It was a really low growl… a growl so low that no human could detect it without _really _straining their ears. Well, no human but his mate… if she turned out to be a human, that was. He sure did hope so because youkai bitches were just _not_ his type…

Kagome slapped his arm playfully, as she walked back to her seat. "Shush." She scolded gently.

_S-Shush?!... _

Conversations picked up where they left off, most of which were about him and he couldn't quite keep up with his friends and his thoughts at the same time. So, he did the natural thing and chose the less disconcerting to deal with…

"Come on Inuyasha, I'm waiting on your opinion about my omelets!" Kagome was nearly bouncing in her seat.

"They were delicious, Kagome, I don't think I could have done a better job." Miroku said.

Kagome smiled proudly, despite her usual pinking in the cheeks whenever she got praise.

Sango winked, "I think Inuyasha's opinion is all Kagome _really_ cares about though, Houshi."

The couple snickered, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he took a bite out of the egg-based food.

After rolling it around in his mouth for a while, he swallowed. He made sure to swallow all the ones that had gotten caught between his fangs before he answered.

In truth, it wasn't bad…not bad at all. He wasn't too big on eggs, but she did do a great job in turning him into a minor fan.

Kagome was looking at him with an expression so pleased she could have burst like fireworks. She must've been reading the satisfaction on his face. She loosed so…_so_ cute. If she were his, he would've kissed her and told her he loved them even if they tasted like vomit in a garbage can. But she wasn't his, not even close.

And this girl was just too big a source of confusion for him right now, and confused was a feeling he did not like being associated with. There needed to be some sort of barrier against her, some way to just get her to stop. _Stop_ haunting him, day and night, and _stop_ clinging to his brain when he wanted nothing more than her banishment from it.

So he grimaced, he grimaced hard. "What'd you do, use a whole bottle of hot sauce on this shit?"

Her brows raised, and she blinked twice, then she frowned. "You don't like it?"

_I love it_, "No" he scoffed.

"Inuyasha" Sango had said, her voice was rightfully, disapproving.

Kagome shook her head, "I-It's alright, Sango." And she shrugged, before giggling, shakily.

He didn't even look at her after that, but he did stuff a bagel into his mouth. His fangs sunk _deep _into the doughy softness of the bread, and he hated the easiness of the bite.

"I should start on the dishes." Kagome said.

Sango grabbed her wrist, "No, the boys will handle the dishes. You and I should go find you an outfit."

She shot both Miroku and Inuyasha a glower, daring them to object. Miroku, hastily complied, but there was no doubt he would do anything Sango asked. Inuyasha didn't look up.

"Thanks again for the meal, Kagome, it was delicious." Miroku said, as she left with his fiancé.

Miroku didn't hear it, but he did. Muttered under her breath, so low that even Sango might not have heard, she said with a dejected voice, "Apparently not…"

Miroku turned back around to face him after the women disappeared around the corner with a disapproving frown.

"Why did you have to say that, Inuyasha?"

"Keh" he took a bite out of his pancake, and it was so soft and buttery, that it would've made a lesser man cry with delight. They even rivaled Miroku's, and that said a whole lot.

"I know you don't eat omelets, but you could have at least _pretended_ to like it."

He sighed heavily, trying not to take all his irritation out on his innocent and unsuspecting friend.

"It's no big fucking deal, I just didn't like em'"

Miroku sighed in exasperation. "I think you hurt her feelings… you know, considering you've been living for over a century, you sure know little about women, my friend."

"At least I know that they don't like to be groped when meeting a complete stranger, you fucking pervert! Isn't that what you did your whole life, even _after_ you met Sango?"

"Well, I do admit I was corrupted back then, but I have changed for her. You, however, have lived far longer than I have and remain ignorant to the deeper thoughts of women."

Inuyasha growled out loud, feeling a little defeated by Miroku's wit.

"Just shut it, alright."

"Alright, but let me just say that you are doing yourself and Kagome a great injustice."

"Keh, and how exactly am I doing that?"

Miroku drank the last of his juice, before setting the glass down gently. He stood with his and Sango's clear plates in hand, walking over to the sink.

"By fighting a losing battle, and delaying Love's inevitable win."

Inuyasha flinched at the perverted monk's words, "Tch… you're talking crazy."

_Love_ was far from playing a factor in this situation. This thing between Kagome and him, was just desire, maybe even a _little_ fixation, but most definitely not Love. Love didn't know him anymore; it had abandoned him the moment _she_ died.

Yup…the monk sure as hell had no _idea_ what he was saying.

Miroku smiled gently, "I think you know exactly what I mean, even if you are too afraid to admit it."

Inuyasha stood up abruptly. "I'll be eating in my room, where your nonsense _can't_ be heard." He stomped away with his plates, including the one with the omelets, leaving a very smug Miroku behind.

_Yup… a losing battle indeed…_

*********

A/N--There you have it, friends!

Sorry for the delay, but school is a female dog. Hopefully it's going better for you than it's _already_ going for me.

Please leave me beautiful reviews (especially you mediaminer =] you've been slacking {except for a precious few who review me every time, you guys rock to death})

Phew, I have read this chapter _too_ many times and probably know it by heart now. Forgive me if it's terrible, but bear with me, I got big plans for this fic =)

~ I'll be back sooner than later, hopefully ~


	9. Chapter 9

"Kagome, can we talk?" Sango asked as she sat on the edge of her king sized bed, facing the young woman who was busy donning a cream sweater.

"About what?"

Sango grimaced at her choice; the thing was loose and sloppy. She'd only bought it to keep her warm during the winter nights. Why Kagome would choose such an unflattering article of clothing, was beyond her.

"This" she said, waving her hand, vaguely.

Kagome looked at her with a confused frown. The slayer stood with a heavy sigh, walking over to the girl.

"How do you feel about Inuyasha?" Sango asked her, bluntly.

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction before she turned back to face the mirror, pretending to adjust the sweater. When she looked up and saw the reflection of Sango's knowing smirk behind her, she glared at the beige carpet instead.

"I-I-I uh—he's nice, and uh—only a jerk _sometimes_, and" she shrugged, as a blush kissed her cheeks.

Sango took her by the shoulders and spun her around.

"You like him." She stated, "So what are you going to _do _about it?" she asked, giving the flustered girl a gentle shake.

Sango was done watching Kagome and the hanyou dance around each other. It was time for some action, because time is something that they had a very short supply of. Okinawa was approaching; every second brought the girl closer to leaving them. If the two of them didn't wise up soon, she feared the consequences would be grave; misery upon each of them.

She had to know where Kagome stood, what she planned on doing, and what she might possibly be ready to give up…

"Do?"

"Yes, do. Surely, you've thought about this, haven't you?"

"Sango… I couldn't—"

She wasn't allowed to finish because she was rather roughly pulled by the hand, to the bed where she was forcefully sat down.

"Alright, I know it isn't that easy, with him being such a baka and all." Kagome conceded to that with three nods of her head, "but how do you… _feel_ about it?"

Kagome mulled that over for a second, but not because she was uncertain of her answer.

Sango had, so far, proven herself to be a good friend, and she wanted nothing more than to confide in someone, allow a portion of her inner turmoil to be loaded onto someone else, if only for a moment… however, she and Inuyasha were practically siblings, right? Her bond to him, much thicker than the feeble one they'd created in the past couple of days. If she told Sango something, could she be sure Inuyasha wouldn't find out, and realize how she truly thought of him? How he consumed every waking (and sleeping) thought that passed through her mind? Would it be such a bad thing if he did know? ... Yes, catastrophic. He'd think she were some obsessive psycho, it had only been a _few_ days!

Kagome decided to hold back on the more intimate details as best she could, while remaining honest to Sango. Perhaps, it could work…

"Inuyasha already knows how I feel, Sango."

She peered at Kagome suspiciously, "how?"

Kagome sighed and bit her bottom lip, staring at the intricate beaded patterns, sewn in the sheets.

"Yesterday, while you and Miroku slept on the deck, Inuyasha asked me to talk to him."

Sango held her breath.

"He basically told me that he feels… _something_ for me, and he knows that I feel the same, but…" she swallowed hard, "but we can't do anything about it."

"Did he say, why?" Sango asked, knowing the deep root reason, but wondering what Inuyasha's excuse was.

A shrug was her response, "He said it's because we live in two different worlds; his on boat, and mine... not on boat."

Sango looked at her with such a sympathetic face that Kagome could only wonder what sort of expression she sported that would get her such a reaction.

She shook her head, and looked away again, "He's absolutely right, of course, but..."

"But, what?"

The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times, before sighing and standing up. "It's nothing."

"Kagome…" she frowned.

"It's alright, Sango. I'm fine with being his friend… _all_ your friends." She giggled, but it was obviously forced. "I'm fine."

"But… can I ask you something, Kagome?"

If Kagome was the type of girl to say no to such a little thing, then she would have, but unfortunately for the newcomer, she couldn't deny her new friend such a minor request. That didn't mean she couldn't dread the question.

Kagome nodded once.

"What if you could have it your way? What would you want?"

That was an odd question. Did it even matter? It was almost as if Sango believed that, if she knew Kagome's answer, then it could come to be by way of a snap of her fingers, or a click of her heels. If only things were so easy to come by…

She answered truthfully anyway, "Sango, I would just want to know him, and learn from him, and … _be_ with him. I don't know. It's strange considering I've been here for such a short period of time, but…" she shrugged. "I like him... a whole lot more than I should, for a reason that I cannot discover no matter how _hard_ I wrack my brain."

She shook her head, as if she'd just said something so absolutely ridiculous or absurd, but Sango grinned acceptingly.

"And where would all that happen—on land?"

Kagome shrugged again as a small smile touched her lips.

"If I had it my way, then it wouldn't matter. We could be anywhere, as long as we were—"she stopped herself; the curtains of obliviousness that had fallen over her eyes were quickly drawn back to reveal embarrassed and shamefully aware blue. She spun around again, hiding from Sango's perceptive eyes.

Boy, did she have it bad.

Silence; both women solely focused on contradicting ideas.

"Well, then" Sango finally said. "We're just going to have to make it happen, now, wont we?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you are going to trash that hideous sweater, and step into the deeper recesses of my closet."

"Sango…" Kagome said warily.

The girl just ripped the top over her head and threw it somewhere over her shoulder. She then guided her into the closet with both palms pressed against the skin of Kagome's back.

"Come on, we got a little work to do."

~*~*~*~

Sango smirked to herself.

She had what she needed; a sign.

Kagome wanted to be with Inuyasha, and she wanted to be with him _badly_. If only Kagome could see the look on her face as she spoke of the hanyou, then she would realize the obvious. Something special was brewing.

She'd said herself that she didn't care where they were, so long as they were together… well at least she was _about_ to say it. And Sango knew that if it weren't for his last utter failure of a relationship, Inuyasha wouldn't let anything get in the way of being with Kagome. He felt something, and she felt something. Now it was time to _start_ something.

Unfortunately, through the excitement fluttering in Sango's head, a dark nagging cloud managed to shove its way to the forefront of her mind. It was an upsetting possibility.

Kagome could leave him.

Could they even blame her if she did decide to go back to the normal, _un_hidden lifestyle a beautiful woman should be living? She did have people who needed her too, after all. If by some miracle, Inuyasha grew to love her in the next few days, and she were to disappoint them all by leaving him as a hollow mass of despair, then all hope would be lost.

Another devastating blow to his already wounded heart would be the end of her friend.

Even with the high risk, why did she feel so determined? Why was she so damn sure of herself? She didn't know Kagome well enough to judge whether the girl could be so cruel as to make him fall for her and then leave him when he starts getting high hopes… and yet she couldn't disprove her certainty.

Her friend's heart was way more precious than just a simple hunch, but this wasn't just a hunch. It was more like a _premonition. _She could just see the golden thread, sewn by the hands of fate, itself.

She could hear the rustling of material as Kagome tried on a few outfits she picked out for her, and smiled when she heard the girl hiss, "_Ouch"_

No, Kagome wasn't the type. If she were to purposefully win Inuyasha over, she wouldn't leave, just as Miroku had said. She'd fight to be with him, anyway. It was all up to the baka hanyou, at this point.

~*~*~*~

Kagome wanted to slap herself.

Her mouth had a mind of its own. She hadn't wanted to confess so much to Sango, but she had to admit it felt good having someone to spill her guts to. She probably hadn't had someone like that since Junior High.

Still, she wished she could have taken a lot of things back. The fact that she'd basically asked to stay with them was one.

"_He's absolutely right, of course, but..."_

That's what she'd said, and she'd nearly patted herself on the back for stopping herself before finishing that train of thought, because if she hadn't, she would've said something along the lines of, "_but_ _I have nothing. Being with you guys has been the best accident that's ever happened to me since the day my whole entire family died, and I'd rather stay on a boat with him and the rest of you, with nothing keeping Inuyasha and I apart." _

Well maybe not _all_ that. But Sango would've caught her drift.

But she'd already decided that they couldn't know she hated her life in Tokyo… that she'd only been motivated by Kouga being by her side, and that now that she despised him, she bemoaned going back.

They would think her a freeloader, a refugee of some sort, just looking for a way out. It would appear as if she were using the hanyou as a free ticket onto their yacht, and that thought was sickening.

And there was no way she could remain a burden to them. They obviously liked isolation since they lived on a boat, so why would they want a new girl coming in to disrupt their little group?

But then, like an idiot, she'd given herself away. Kagome knew that she could quite possibly be taking what she'd said more seriously than Sango, but she couldn't help feeling guilty that she'd admitted to not caring where she was, as long as it was with Inuyasha. It was a clear confession that she would stay on this boat, if they would allow her.

How could she be so utterly _dumb?_ After years of being told how exceptionally bright she was, Kagome had never felt like more of a dunce.

In any case, Inuyasha had made it clear that there shall be nothing between them. She'd wanted to at least be his friend, but this ordeal makes the idea sound rather difficult. How could she be his friend when she thought so much more of him?

Well, it's not like she had much of a choice.

The storm had lengthened the trip by a day, that's what Myouga had told them this morning. That left five to six days, after today. Only five more days until Okinawa came, and she'd be in the pajama shorts, tank top, and light leather jacket, Inuyasha had found her in. They were washed and dried, and ready to go.

That was a day she did not look forward to.

Kagome sighed; hoping Sango didn't hear her from outside, as she slipped on the yellow summer dress Sango had _demanded _she try on.

She looked even less forward to getting back to Tokyo, and job searching again. That process was so emotionally draining, that her brain and heart throbbed simultaneously to think about it. One would think that with her accomplishments, she would be snatched up by any lucky hospital, but nope, not _this_ Kagome Higurashi.

She didn't even have a place to _live_. She simply couldn't go back to the place Kouga had gotten her, and Kouga... What would she do about him? How would he react to seeing her again? Would he pretend nothing happened, like he usually did when he left her for days at a time? Would she even be able to keep him away from her?

She couldn't go back to Tokyo.

It was then that Kagome realized that she really didn't have to.

Okinawa was a beautiful place. Maybe she didn't belong in Tokyo, and maybe she didn't belong on this yacht, but maybe she belonged there. A new beginning sounded like exactly what she needed.

Her heartbeat increased in tempo, and it took all she had to keep track of time in the dressing room as her thoughts solidified, and her plan formulated. Her blood raced through her as excitement bubbled up inside her very core.

It was as if she was just realizing she was a grown woman that could very well fend for herself, and make her own decisions. What was to stop her from doing as she pleased? What was to keep her from starting over; away from the man who used to hold her heart in his lying murderous hands?

Not a damn thing.

Inuyasha's bright smiling face from last night as she smoothed his bangs back for him, suddenly flashed through her mind, as some sort of caveat from her brain, and her blood froze before resuming the natural pace.

She frowned inwardly, as she felt a sharp tug in her heart. Nope... nothing _would_ stop her from leaving.

The pain from her realization was even greater than her thrill.

*****

The dress was casual, yet beautiful. It was sleek and flattering, and Kagome didn't know if she'd have the power to give it back.

It held a thick strap over each shoulder, and the yellow fabric outlined the top curve of her breasts before dipping, demurely into the crevice between them. It was an empire waist dress, so it accentuated the generous swell of her chests quite nicely, without flaunting.

The rest of it flowed easily, gracefully, to about mid-thigh. The back of the dress dipped low, but not dangerously so, only showing as much as the back of her neck to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Sango let her borrow a pair of silver sandals, studded with three fake diamonds on the single strap that peeked between her big and second toe, up to her ankle where the other strap met it and secured the shoe to her foot.

She looked good, she had to admit. Sango vehemently agreed, before pulling her away to the living room where she could get the opinion of the person whose judgment meant the most.

They slowed their speed right before the entrance of the room to casually stroll in…

Unfortunately, the pretty dress she'd worn was replaced by warm flannel pajamas at Inuyasha's insistence. And no, it wasn't _just _because it did crazy things to his libido, but the wench had gone and gotten herself sick. It really was a shame. No one could look so gorgeous in such a casual piece of clothing. When she'd come in, he could barely keep his perverted eyes from finding her every so often.

Kagome was so beautiful, and not just physically. Her unawareness to just how attractive she was just added to her inner appeal, as well as to his inner struggle to stay away. She'd made her way straight to him as soon as she came into view, and they sat on the couch together, watching television as his two friends sat in the kitchen… or at least that's where he guessed they were.

Blame his perverted eyes.

At first they watched a lot of T.V in growing silence, but as one show ended and a soap opera began, an argument ensued. Kagome, of course wanted to watch _Orenji Deizu_, but he changed the channel as soon it started.

She had somehow talked him into giving it a chance, but he relented under the excuse of not having anything better to watch.

He ended up asking her question about the show, but he told himself that it was more out of curiosity than intrigue. Kagome smiled and answered every one, going on and on about how romantic it was that Kai accepted Sae even though she was deaf.

It was a good show, he had to admit… to himself, only, of course. After that, the T.V ran, but they paid absolutely no mind to it. He pretended that he was reluctant to speak to her and annoyed when she asked questions, but it was entertaining. She laughed a lot, and he was glad that she wasn't getting offended by his usual baka habits. After his rudeness in the morning, it was a miracle she was even speaking to him.

She grabbed his hand once, frustratingly making him blush, and told him she was going to show him a trick. He allowed it with a groan, making her giggle.

She began tapping her pointer against each of his fingers, saying "The. Cat. Said. Me. Ow." For each digit.

She did that about three times, and he was getting rather impatient for this trick, but the fourth time, when she got to the 'Ow.' part of the sentence, she didn't lightly tap his pinky as she'd done before. She yanked it back, hard.

He merely blinked at her.

She saw his reaction and did it again.

He blinked twice, "What are you doing?"

She sighed in defeat, "You're supposed to yell 'Ow!' get it?"

He smirked, "You're too weak to get an 'Ow' out of me, wench."

She glared but didn't argue; he was probably right.

"I got one" he said, keeping his voice purposefully, uninterested. "Do exactly what I do." He instructed.

He counted off each of his fingers on one hand, saying with each one, "Ichi, ni, san, shi, go" and then folded his arms across his chest.

Kagome glared at him incredulously. Was that it? She counted her fingers off, and then shrugged.

"Wrong!" he exclaimed.

"What, I did it!"

"Nope." he said and repeated his actions for her.

She counted off her fingers again, "Ichi, ni, san, shi, go!"

He laughed at her frustration as he kept telling her how wrong she was. Miroku and Sango came back, wondering what it was that had their hanyou chuckling so much.

"Liar, I did it right! Do it again, Inuyasha"

The hanyou sighed, exasperatedly, "Ichi, ni, san shi, go" and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, Miroku, Sango, tell me if I'm doing it wrong." She counted off, "Ichi, ni, san, shi, go"

Sango and Miroku snickered too, they knew this trick. "Sorry, Kagome, but I'm afraid you did it wrong." Miroku said.

"Okay, tell me what I did wrong" she pressed, and folded her arms beneath her breast.

All three of them laughed at that. She raised her brow at them; apparently they had all just lost their minds.

"Do not tell her" Inuyasha warned.

Kagome's jaw dropped, "Oh come on!"

He shook his head, "Not a word" he said to the other two.

"Sango" Kagome pleaded.

She just snickered and looked away.

Kagome huffed, and folded her arms again, and they all burst out laughing again. Not because she understood what was going on, but because they were all enjoying themselves so much, Kagome found herself laughing too, at her own expense. She rolled her eyes, and got up off the couch to get herself a drink.

That's when something in her head pulsated, like her brain had its own mini heart and it pounded viciously. She had to grab her temples, as a splitting headache made her face scrunch up. Beads of sweat formulated out of nowhere across her forehead, and the sound of laughter quickly died down.

She felt her body warm up in steady degrees, her vision blur by her thick lashes. She felt herself slicing through the air in the room, but barely realized that she was falling until she was horizontal in a strong pair of arms.

"Kagome" she heard Inuyasha's voice, filled with more emotion than she had ever heard… besides when he's angry.

She coughed once, and forced her eyes open, willing to suffer the pain of the blaring lights in her eyes, to alleviate his worry.

"I'm alright" she assured, "Just a little dizzy."

He didn't look convinced, but he set her on the couch and pressed a hand to her forehead with a grimace. "You're burning up" He shook his head. "Sango, go get her blankets and something comfortable to wear."

Sango did so immediately.

"Go make her something to feel better monk, I think she's come down with something."

"I'll make soup" and he was gone too.

As she let her eyes slide shut, the gentle pass of a large hand over her damp forehead, eased a great deal of her pain.

*****

That Night…

Inuyasha flinched, not for the first time, when Kagome was attacked by another fit of coughs.

Cross-legged Indian style and breathing like an asthmatic, she sipped tentatively at the broth left from her chicken noodle soup on her couch, while the rest of them ate the remains of their dinner.

Inuyasha's plate was full, an oddity for him.

He hadn't eaten since the surprise breakfast that morning, but guilt and discomfort filled the void in his stomach so easily, he couldn't bring himself to lift his fork. He should have insisted she put on a coat, should have shut off the A.C when they came back inside, drenched. The bitch probably hadn't even dried her hair before going to bed.

Fuck, for all they knew, she could have the flu and what could they do for her besides feed her some less-than-helpful soup?

Kagome groaned lightly as she put her now hollow bowl on the coffee table, before flopping onto her mountain of cushions, wrapped from neck to toe in a pale green blanket. He turned to the monk who thought he was being inconspicuous slipping his hand beneath Sango's skirt.

"Oi, she needs more."

"Inuyasha, that was her second bowl, and she said she didn't even need that one."

"Yeah, but she ended up eating it all, didn't she?"

"You can't force feed her, Inuyasha"

The hanyou's expression was considering. "Keh"

Miroku sighed, getting up with his and his fiancés dirty dishes, "For now she should rest, and I'll make her some tea for when she wakes up."

He grunted.

Contrary to what they'd just said, Kagome rose from her couch still wrapped in her blanket. Her socks thudded gently across the wood as she made her way to the empty seat closest to Inuyasha.

"Wench, you should be resting." He chastised.

She sniffled, "I can't sleep"

"Did you try?" he asked impatiently.

She smiled, but it was lackluster, completely unlike the one he'd grown so fond of.

"Sure I did"

He growled, "Get back to bed, and take your germs with you."

"Inuyasha," Sango admonished, but they both ignored her.

The hanyou Inuyasha was by no means afraid of germs, but if he had to pretend to be repulsed by her and fear getting sick to get her where she ought to be, then he would do it.

Kagome's red nose scrunched up against her pale face, "I don't want to, and I won't touch anything, okay?"

"No, get back over there."

"Oh boy" Miroku shook his as he marinated some newly caught fish.

Most never had any luck fishing right after a storm, and so naturally the best days to fish were when storms were miles away. However, the challenge of catching fish on the hardest of days is precisely why Miroku did it. Right after breakfast, he dug up his fishing rod and pole, telling Myouga to still the boat for a few hours (unbeknownst to the hanyou who was resting in his bedroom) so he could do his _second_ favorite pastime.

He ended up catching four decent sized Sawotabi fish, which he found to be more than he had hoped for. The fish would marinate until tomorrow night then be grilled to perfection. Finally he'd remember what all the hoopla was about. It'd really been _that_ long since he'd had some fresh Sawotabi. If only he could remember that _one_ thing about them…oh well. If he couldn't remember, than it probably wasn't all that important.

"Inuyasha, I just napped, and I'll have plenty of time to sleep later!"

"Bitch, the sooner you rest, the sooner you'll feel better! Don't you wanna feel better?"

"Yes, but I'm not tired, so give it a rest already. I'll sleep eventually!"

Instinctively, up to his last wit of patience, he demanded her submission in that special _low _growl.

Kagome started, shock and curiosity written in her eyes at the guttural sound. However, the blue fire within them still blazed on, unwilling to give in to his silent demand. But, try as hard as she may, she couldn't tear her gaze away, couldn't help the softening in her eyes, the loss of tension in her muscles or the instinctual tilting of her neck.

In her head sounded a rough, nearly incoherent voice that was most definitely not her own, nor was it one she recognized… at first.

_Submit…_ it demanded.

_W-what?_ She questioned.

_Submit to me mate…_

_Mate? What's going on! _

Since when could she hear voices in her head?! Was she really losing it?

_Bitch, submit! Listen to mate!_

And then she recognized the voice, the harsh nickname had confirmed her initial guess. Then, she didn't feel so crazy. She thought of him all the time, hearing him in her head had become the norm. Of course, she'd been in control of the things he said… in this case she wasn't.

Kagome blinked out of her stupor and straightened out her neck. Inuyasha stopped growling when she did this and the look upon his face reflected the stupefied thoughts in her head.

Wait…Had he… _been_ in there with her? There, in her *gulp* head? Well it might not have been her head; it could have been that she was in his. She did have some sort of weird Miko heritage after all, and throughout the years she'd managed to accidentally singe some deserving youkai's skin. Maybe this was some other side affect… being psychic?

Ridiculous… absurd, impossible! Telepathy had nothing to do with being a miko.

But she heard him, clear as day, and he apparently heard her too if the slack-jawed expression was any indication… it had happened. What did it mean, and what on earth was he going on about in there; mates, submission?

She could pretend to not understand, but those words were the only things she did understand out of this ordeal. Not just their dictionary meaning but their significance, especially when it came to youkai.

Mates… could it really…

Confusion laced with trepidation didn't allow her to finish her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha could barely form them.

How the hell had she been able to pull it from him? That-That sound! How the hell?

The one earlier had been because of Sango, but not directed _to_ Sango. He'd done plenty of those over the years, but never one that came straight from his inner beast, and uttered so low, that his mouth barely needed to open. It was merely the sound of the rumbling and rattling in his chest.

And she heard it.

Inuyasha had been purposefully trying to forget that she'd heard the one from earlier, and up until now, he'd been doing a damn good job. Now, he had no idea how he would avoid dealing with it, or the… fear.

There was no other explanation for it, nothing he could tell himself to relieve his panic. Especially not when what happened next only solidified them.

"Kagome can rest whenever she feels like it Inuyasha!" Sango argued.

He grimaced at the table, more from what he was feeling inside than what Sango said, but Kagome spoke up.

"H-He's right Sango, I should be resting." She tightened her slack hold on the blankets and coughed once.

She'd listened, _submitted_ to him.

"You don't have to Kagome"

She just smiled at the girl, spared him a brief glance, and trudged her way back to her sofa.

They both knew she wouldn't be getting any rest.

******

The Sawotabi fish is 100% fictitious, and I'll explain why in later chapters. Sorry for the longest updating interval EVER and I'm even sorrier that it may happen again. I promise to update when I can, though.

Review please; I _really_ need the encouragement, lol.

*Editing will happen soon enough


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: yeah, yeah, I don't own him…tell me something I _don't_ pity myself for =[

*****

Chapter 10

Kagome had in fact fallen asleep, and he was immensely jealous.

_Everyone_ was sound asleep. Stillness radiated through the yacht as nearly all its inhabitants rested—all but the bewildered, restless hanyou. With a tortured frown, he sat and watched over her in close proximity, regulating his breathing so as not to tickle the fine hairs on her skin too much.

Tucked as deep in the crevice of her temporary bedding as possible, with a thin layer of sweat coating her heated forehead was Kagome…his _mate._

Inuyasha still couldn't wrap his head around it, and he wasn't going to until he did what he was there for.

For _five_ hours he'd watched her sleep, knowing what he had to do but not finding the slightest bit of courage in his mighty heart, the same heart that at once felt no remorse when slaughtering men. For five hours, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off that face, unconsciously trying to memorize every nook, every slope, and every curve. Only when he'd heard a soft _thunk_ did he look away, fearing he'd been caught and even he had to blush when he realized he'd forgotten where he was. He'd resumed his gazing from then on…

The fact that he couldn't tire, no matter how many times he tried to force himself, of watching her was more grudgingly accepted truth of what he wanted so much to deny. It was just too soon—he wasn't ready.

Hadn't he just told himself that Kagome was off limits? Of course, since fate seemed to hate him so damned much, she would be thrown at him at the worst possible time. To make matters worse, his youkai had acknowledged her fully since their encounter in her mind; so much that a lesser hanyou would have been dominated in a second by the raging beast.

In his younger days, he would transform at the drop of a hat with little, to no provocation. Admittedly, if it weren't for the help of the last couple members of his family, he would have never been able to train himself—_Keh! More like __**tame**__myself_**—**properly**.**

It needed her… craved her, even, and the young hanyou was suddenly hit with the most obvious realization. The sneaky bitch—his youkai—had been responsible for _everything_. The yearning, the fixation, the immense jealousy, and those fucked up dreams…It knew at first sight, first whiff that she was meant to be his, didn't it?

Kagome felt it all too, didn't she? It showed in how much she always put herself closer to him, though she had a much more civilized relationship with Sango and the others. Just earlier, as he sat at the end of the couch opposite from her, she tried to be inconspicuous scooting over to him cm by cm. Then she got up once, and when she came back they were shoulder to shoulder, leading him to believe her leaving had been an excuse. She also never could keep her eyes off him for long, and her desire for him was pretty much tangible. He could probably taste it, if he stuck his tongue in the air…not that he would ever risk trying.

Inuyasha shook his head once, not liking the finality of his thoughts, how they were resolving that Kagome was his mate, and got back on his train of doubts.

It wasn't that he didn't want Kagome… he actually would've liked to be a good mate, to love her how she deserved, but he was not in the position. If he had it his way, then the Kami wouldn't have given him a mate to begin with. No one deserved the tons he carried, and he'd be damned if he forced them on Kagome. How could she of all people be so unlucky?

The Ketsueki Kyoudai still hunted him, still wanted to see his innards shoved down his throat, and wanted that of his friends too just for being with him. The guilt of robbing them of a happily married life was enough to weigh him down, six feet under. He didn't need an innocent, kind-hearted girl—probably ignorant to any kind of pain or hatred—added to his line of regrets. It would just about kill him to see her crushed, too.

He still clung to a shred of useless hope, however, that the old theory of time just not being on his side and Kagome being some unsuspecting victim of his lust, held true. It could all be clarified with a simple call… a special growl.

Inuyasha sat back, not wanting to give her any unfair advantages… although if she were his mate, she'd probably hear him from any spot on the yacht. He prayed that the fever pills she took would keep her under long enough for him to get this over with. Getting caught spying was not part of the plan, and there would be no excuse good enough to get him out of it.

Taking a deep breath, the hanyou closed his eyes telling himself over and over it was necessary for him to know if she's the one. He didn't come for nothing; leaving would be cowardly, beneath him. He rolled his eyes beneath his lids at how Sesshomaru-like that sounded. Another deep breath, and a clearing of his throat…it was now or never.

And he did it, unprepared to open his eyes and view the results, just yet.

Slowly and evenly, he called for his mate. Anyone standing in the room wouldn't notice a change, but there was a drastic one, one that would prove that he and this girl were spiritually bonded for all eternity. If Kagome responded, answered his call so to speak, then he'd have no choice but to believe without a sliver of doubt.

After a small moment of rumbling and no other sound, he was actually starting to get hopeful…

Hope is gone when he heard a small feminine moan, responding to him. He cracked open his eyes, and immediately wanted to shut them again. Kagome was baring her throat to him; Kagome his mate.

Brows slightly furrowed, and chin tilted up high, trying to extend beyond its limits to expose creamy smooth, unmarred flesh. The first few buttons of the thick pajamas he'd _demanded_ she wear came undone—he regretted that choice as soon as he noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra...As if his hands weren't itching to grab her enough.

He could clearly hear her mental, desperate whimpering, translating her need to be taken and fully acknowledged by her mate in the most basic way and try as he might, he couldn't shut himself up.

Her hands clutched in little fists in the sheets as her body arched like a hunter's bow, unwittingly parting her top wider, each flap slowly inching down to the tight bud centering her pale, succulent, mounds. Her body language; the definition of submission, crying out for him to consummate their bond at once; make her his as he was destined to.

Inuyasha was salivating as he slowly lost himself in the beauty of his mate. He had to be the luckiest, most undeserving bastard in history. His need to sink his whole being into her was that of a full blooded youkai: savage, raw, and smoldering. She was wet for him too, probably dripping with passion if her scent—her eye crossing scent—was any indication. And it was _him, his_ growl that was doing this to her.

He could hear his youkai communicating with her, though he couldn't really call it a conversation since it was all sound and the repeat of one word that expressed all that needed to be said; _Mate_.

A woman possessed, was what she was. Kagome writhed, completely unaware and insensible of her movements. She looked ready to stretch her pretty head to the point of snapping just so her mate could feast on the sight of her exposed column; anything to get him inside her, and do with her as they both pleased.

Of course, this submission was purely instinctual and underlying. The Kagome he knew would fight her feisty ass off before even hinting at submitting to him. The girl was just hardwired for being opposed to most he had to say… and he loved it. There were times she surrendered and he had to admit, it gave him an ego boost, and a swift rush to his groin.

Earlier, when he'd asked her to go rest, she ignored the order. All it had taken in the end was the growl to get her to understand it was non-negotiable. Acting on instinct again, she submitted to him. He knew though, that if ever in the future she were to…_be_ with him, she wouldn't give a flying fuck what sound he exuded from his throat. In fact, she'd probably have a few, not-so-polite ones of her own in response.

So Kagome was his intended, and he was hers.

His feet suddenly weighed a ton, and he couldn't for the life of him retract himself. Not when his youkai was raging for him to fuck her into the sofa until she was unconscious, lest he come out and do it himself…

A nipple. Tight, tan, and stiff, peeked through the flap.

How easy would it be to just catch it between his teeth, and lathe it with his tongue? To suck it until his cheeks hurt? At the very least, grasp the mound in his craving, itching hands. Damn did he want to, and Kagome wouldn't object, would she? Maybe at first, but he wasn't a neophyte in the art of seduction.

A hand lifted, so…_so _close, and his youkai steadily quieted in anticipation.

Seeing his hand a hairs width away, jolted the hanyou back down to earth, where things weren't so simple. Where he was still haunted by past failures, where how he lived, and all he knew was penance and sorrow. The gratification of feeling her skin was too precious for him to engage in, and far too easy to get lost in. It would never just be a touch, a caress. If he started something, then orgasms would be inevitable. Period.

That could not happen.

He was _bulging_. Hanyou hearing wasn't necessary to hear the throbbing of the veins in his thickened muscle. He feared that a cold shower would not be enough this time, and his hand would be reuniting with an old friend tonight.

His youkai was still wrestling for control, probably harder than it ever had. He was actually starting to break into a sweat at the level of concentration necessary to restrain it. That nipple had really sent it overboard.

There was a telltale numbing feeling at his nail beds, and he watched as his talons grew long and hard. The familiar, creeping sting in his eyes—no doubt bleeding red—was next, and that's when he doubled his efforts. The third stage of transformation was the tingle in his gums that signified the elongating of fangs. If he made it to the final stage—a hot streak of magenta whipped onto each cheek—there would be no turning back.

All that passed through the hanyou's mind were the dire consequences of acting upon his insatiable youkai's lust. The immediate effect would be… gratifying, to put it mildly. But then, he'd have to break her heart. He'd have to tell her he fucked her because he'd given in to temptation at a moment of weakness, and that it… _they_ could never happen again because he'd made a promise to himself to never, ever be anything but despondent, till his dying day. He was worthless, weak, dangerous, and unworthy. Not to mention, he'd mark her during sex because there would be no way to help it, and no one will ever appeal to her as much as him, again.

She'd hate him; curse the day he was born, and celebrate the minute of his death.

With an added incentive, Inuyasha forced his youkai back, and with a clear head, and a clear decision made, he fled the room, not once looking back.

Kagome stilled, and resumed sleep as if nothing had even happened.

*****

No one had heard from the hanyou all day.

It was a shock to Kagome how much she mourned his absence. She couldn't ignore the thoughts that nagged at her since she woke with Inuyasha's name on her lips, like he alone was the reason she needed to wake up…like his face was what would make the day worthwhile.

Mates—the single and strongest bond in the universe, an eternal connection between a demon and his/her intended. Kagome had always wondered if she was chosen to be with a demon, heck what human didn't? To most, it was a curse that you prayed wouldn't befall you—to be helplessly tied to a monster, unwillingly was not a golden path.

Kagome, however, had never thought about it with dismay. Why wouldn't you want to be on the receiving end of an endless romance by someone you were inexplicably in love with? Not to mention the end of heartbreak, and the end of searching for one who could so easily ruin your life. No, Kagome wouldn't mind at all.

That voice in her head yesterday had been Inuyasha's, and he had called her his mate. That had never happened before, not to her, anyways. Kagome wracked her brain, trying to remember all she could about demon mating rituals, and all that junk she learned while being with Kouga—ugh, thank _god_ it wasn't Kouga—but it was pointless, mating was different for each type of demon, and she was sure she had never come across a dog demon in her life. Unfortunately, her medical degree that included the aide of demons was still insufficient knowledge.

She would _love_ a good encyclopedia right now.

But what difference would it make? If she and Inuyasha were mates, surely he'd know it. But would he tell her? Painfully, Kagome admitted that the answer to that question was more than likely—no. She could only sit back and let what happens, happen because apparently she was not in control of her fate. If Inuyasha were her mate, then it would all be up to him.

She sighed for the umpteenth time, hoping the others missed it. It was probably getting annoying.

Sango sat with her at the table as Miroku leaned against the counter, trying to keep himself from checking on his fish when he knew it wasn't ready yet. He'd been wearing a proud grin on his face since he took the marinated meat out the fridge, warning them to be prepared for a delicious explosion in their mouths, though he refused to tell them what type of fish he was treating them to.

He checked again, and it was no more ready than it had been two minutes ago.

"Ugh, would you stop checking. Busy yourself with something else." Sango suggested. That oven was too rusty to be opened and closed so many times, and the sound could annoy easily.

Miroku hesitated, before reluctantly heading over to the salad bowl, and giving the greens a toss.

The day had been annoyingly slow and dull even though she'd vowed to live each of her last days with her friends to the fullest. It was all _his_ fault, of course. This morning, after she'd woken up with only a slight fever, a sore neck—which she ended up blaming the couch for, even though she remembered sleeping like a baby—and an unexplainable dampness in her panties, she and Miroku tag-teamed for breakfast, creating a masterpiece reserved for royalty. Any, and all breakfast meats and carb's you can think of, they cooked and baked it.

Inuyasha didn't show up.

She worried, despite the numerous times the others told her not to, that he was just being his usual tardy self. But she knew the hungry hanyou with the appetite of a cow would never be _this_ late when food was available.

She volunteered to go check on him, prepared a plate, and made her way to his bedroom, realizing for the first time she had never been inside. She let her eyes roam over the larger-than-average wooden door timidly, before balancing the hot plate on her hip, and giving it a few gentle knocks.

No response.

She knocked again and called, "Inuyasha"

There was a pause before he answered her, "What"

"Are you okay? I brought breakfast."

"Don't want it"

She smiled a little, "Wow, you're rejecting food, I never thought I'd live to see the day."

Silence.

"Come on, Inuyasha. The plate is still warm, and purposely devoid of any omelets."

"Just go away, Kagome" he said bleakly, and the lack of annoyance in his voice triggered a pain from somewhere inside her. He wasn't joking; he really wanted her to leave.

She wanted to say something, something purposely stubborn to get the life back in his voice so they could argue, and secretly relish in the communication… but her throat constricted painfully and all she was able to mutter was a pathetic squeak.

Why? What had gotten into him so suddenly? Why was he always such an _idiot?!_ Hot then cold, hot then cold, _god_! She could swear he had more mood swings than a girl!

Sure she could understand why he was cold when things got a little too intimate between them with his obviously difficult past and all, but jeez! She wasn't at his door for anything but to give him some breakfast. She didn't know why she'd hoped….

She just shook her head.

With nothing else to do, she set the plate down before his door and left.

She found herself walking around the yacht all day, taking routes that would take her to his door, hoping to get a glimpse of his face, but with no such luck. She had been satisfied to find the plate gone, but later discovered that Myouga had taken it, not Inuyasha. She pretended she wasn't annoyed with the greedy flea, with a tight smile.

The hours passed, Miroku tried to get at the hanyou, Sango tried to get at the hanyou, darkness came, and her worry doubled. Was he never going to speak to her? Would he get over whatever it was putting him in a funk, before she had to leave and never see him again? She could only hope so.

Besides, if he were her mate, wouldn't this hurt him too?

The timer ringed. Miroku didn't even stop it before materializing before the oven to retrieve his precious fish.

It smelled amazing, and had she been in a better mood, Kagome would be all over it. But she wasn't. She didn't even want to look at it. In fact, the mouthwatering smell was starting to trigger bile in her. She excused herself quietly to her couch after apologizing to Miroku. He was disappointed, and didn't bother hiding his pout.

As soon as she lay down, placing a cool hand to her forehead, she felt rather than saw his approach, forgetting to find that weird, she instead focused on stilling the ecstatic butterflies in her belly that wanted to see his face more than inhale another breath. A second later, and Inuyasha was there, making his way to the table and gracing her with a look so brief she chastised her butterflies for making her hallucinate.

She sat up, and watched him nod at the others in greeting and take a seat. She knew he could feel her watching but he sat in the seat that kept his back to her. Miroku prepared their plates, and they waited to be served in awkward silence. Kagome just stared.

"Wow Houshi, this is amazing. It tastes so familiar, but I can't remember what it is." Sango praised, stuffing her mouth.

"I knew you'd love it! You don't remember because none of us had had any for three years. I could hardly believe it when I caught them."

Inuyasha took a bite.

"Wait a second" Sango said, her voice dropping a little, "is this what I think it is" she said, not as enthusiastic. She looked to Inuyasha, who was now swallowing.

"It's Sawotabi!" Miroku beamed.

Kagome and Sango's reactions were the same, they both braced their hands against something solid, widening their eyes, and turning to Inuyasha who was now realizing what Miroku had just said. But it was too late.

Kagome was up and at the table the second Inuyasha's fork hit the wooden floors. Miroku was in a state of shock as realization was slow to dawn on him, when the hanyou slumped to the ground. Kagome reached out to catch him, but his weight brought them both down.

"Oh my god." She breathed.

And then Miroku knew exactly what had just happened, because while the Sawotabi was perfectly harmless to humans, it was deathly poisonous to youkai.

******

Hello, all! Thanks for the reviews, I love them and you guys to death. The next chapter will most likely be up veryyy soon, so keep a lookout. Wow, I can't believe I'm up to eleven….

As always R/R =]… and don't sweat the ending because—_hello_—there's a doctor in the house *wink wink*


	11. Chapter 11

~CHAPTER 11~

Kagome didn't… _couldn't _move. She was frozen paralyzed in a state of complete and utter dread. This simply wasn't happening.

For Kagome, it seemed that everyone good in her life had to be taken away in the most horrific, scarring way. The tragic death of her family, the nightmarish truth about Kouga, and now Inuyasha who was so different and new to her, was slipping into that category, too. Could she not keep _anyone_?

Miroku and Sango were speaking quickly, wildly, and so very loudly. Their ramblings were background noise as Kagome's panic tore through the numbness that locked her muscles immobile.

As she sat with her legs folded beneath her, she held Inuyasha; her arms locked around his shoulder and neck, while his torso lay across her thighs. His smoldering golden eyes hadn't strayed from her face since she caught him, and she could see the fight he was putting up to keep the fire in them burning. She too, willed them to flame on, dreading to see them turn dull and unseeing.

Without much thought, Kagome's hand found his. She barely registered that his was seeking hers as well. She grasped it tight, and he managed a clench so weak that it made her lips tremble in fear. Inuyasha was slipping from her grasp. The golden candles flickered in and out, the transition going quicker with each passing second. She was losing Inuyasha.

_No!_

And then she knew that her minute of shock was up, now was the time for action. There was no way in hell she would let him go so easily.

_Not without me_. Kagome thought, and was immediately brought up short for a millisecond at the strength and conviction of her words. She shook it off, regretting wasting even that time. She was placing Inuyasha onto the ground when he was rather forcefully pulled from her hands and hauled across Myouga and Miroku's shoulder.

They were trying to carry him away from her.

"To the toilet," Miroku said, "Maybe we could get him to throw it up."

"NO!" Kagome shouted.

Her doctor instincts—and another instinct that she couldn't really identify—were kicking into gear. Her mind spun, and she mentally flipped through all the knowledge she'd stored over the years like pages through a really long book. She stopped on Sawotabi.

"You _can't_ move him. He needs to stay stable because it'll decrease the rate at which the Omega-3 fatty acids spread, and they already spread much too quickly. Those are what's poisoning him." she said half of that with grit teeth.

Before they could ask what they were supposed to do as an alternative, she was telling them.

"Put him back down, slowly." She said, and they complied.

She really did not feel like explaining, all she wanted to do was concentrate on her task, but she knew it would be unfair, not to mention selfish to keep them in the dark. Besides, they would keep asking questions while she worked anyway, which would probably be worse. So while she straightened Inuyasha out and checked his faint pulse, she explained.

"All fish contain a portion of Omega-3 fatty acids, and all fish, with the exception of one breed, are edible to demons and hanyou. That's because the acids are inactive in those fish. However, the Sawotabi also carry an enzyme called _Numosuke _which activate the Omega-3 acids and turn them into a deadly poison that attacks a youkai's _youki_." She said quickly.

Luckily, everyone seemed caught up enough for her to not have to repeat anything.

Kagome put her palms together and closed her eyes. She searched for the internal pink glow that she knew was there, waiting for her call whenever she needed them. Her aura, her miko powers, they would be of monumental assistance.

With great effort, she forced herself to be still and tranquil so she could coax the great pink orb into her hands. The energy was almost like a scared kitten; if she came at it with anything but gentleness, it would shy away and make it that much harder to attain. She concentrated hard, forcing back all her fear, anxiety, and regret that she hadn't learned more of her strength before her grandfather died so that calling upon her powers would be second nature.

"Kagome--" she heard Sango call anxiously since she'd been still for so long, and their friend was still slowly dying. But someone shushed her kindly, apparently aware of where she was going with this.

Finally! She got hold of the pink glow and the warmth suddenly enveloped her as if she were being submerged in water. She opened her eyes, and looked to her hands to find the pinkness swirl around them mystically, probably invisible to most humans.

Her voice was serene as she spoke, "Inuyasha is only half-demon so he has a greater chance of surviving. I can purify him, temporarily."

And then she placed her palms against the hanyou's chest, and he leapt as if she were shocking him out of a coma. She winced in sympathy when his face contorted in pain, and he screamed in agony as her hands burned his flesh.

_I'm sorry, Inuyasha_

With her eyes, she could now see the swirling vortexes of his youki suspended all around the prone hanyou's body. The activated Omega-3 acids were making them bleed a bright crimson, and vibrate rapidly in a way that made her dizzy. The _swooshing_ sound of the swirls were irregular; loud, screeching, almost like an earthquake. They looked like portals that could suck her in at any moment to some kind of alternate dimension where the sun would be the color of blood.

The noise was unbearable, and the glaring color was blinding, but Kagome didn't let them distract her. She concentrated on his face. She continued to pour all the power she had into him. After an insufferable amount of time, the vortexes were dissipating; the noise thinned out to a high pitched whistle and the red orbs were fading away like wisps of smoke. Eventually, every loud, red, swirl was gone and she heard silence.

She heard collective gasps of awe as rich silver hair bled black, and those blank golden eyes faded to gray.

"Now that Inuyasha is human, the poison is harmless," She told them, taking deep, rejuvenating breaths "but I'm not sure if my miko powers are strong enough to keep him like this until he can get rid of the toxins naturally. We should make him throw it up so that when he turns back, there will be no more in his system."

None answered; they just stared back at her with wide-eyed expressions. Anxiety made it so she couldn't find it in herself to blush, though. They weren't completely out of the dark, yet.

Kagome sighed, and stood up, "I'm going to need help bringing him to the bathroom."

Miroku was the first to blink, "Of course"

He grabbed Inuyasha's arm and swung it around his shoulder and carried the groaning temporary human to the nearest bathroom, singlehandedly. Kagome and the others followed closely behind.

******

Inuyasha looked angelic when he slept. His long eyelashes gave him a boyish, deceiving appearance.

Kagome exhaled deeply for the first time in more than an hour. It was an exhale of relief and gratitude that her new greatest fear had not come to pass as she had feared it would. Inuyasha was still here, he was still breathing, he was not slipping away.

Kagome resisted the urge to grab his hand in hers, fearing he might wake up when he really needed the rest. In human form, hanyou should always rest so their bodies could catch up with all the energy exerted while in their stronger state. Inuyasha was not an exception, though she could imagine him begging to differ.

Myouga had gone back to the cockpit, and Miroku and Sango were cleaning the table and disposing of the fish that had caused all this mess. She'd adamantly refused leaving Inuyasha alone when they suggested she bathe and head to bed. Someone needed to be by his side when he woke up; someone just had to be there to make sure the movement in his chest didn't crawl to a stop.

Kagome put her head in her hands, rubbing her face gently. She honestly couldn't remember being so scared in her life.

Actually… there was one time. The time she came home to find police tape streaming across the border of her charred house.

_Flashback_

_A young girl with a high ponytail ran with a soccer ball, passing it between each foot with an ease she acquired from her weeks away at camp. _

_With a grin on her face, she scuttled home, anxious to show her mother what she had learned and excited to teach her little brother how to handle a ball as skillfully as she could. _

_Eyes trained on the black and white ball, Kagome made it to the front of the steps of the Higurashi shrine by memory only to look up and find a black distorted mass where her home should be, and ashes littering the ground. _

_A soft wind carried them to her stinging eyes, and her precious ball rolled away, leaving her alone without her notice. _

_End Flashback_

Kagome shook her head of the troublesome memory, and passed her hand through her hair, only to find it in a ponytail. That was odd, she didn't remember tying it. But hell, she didn't expect to remember insignificant little details like that with everything that had just happened.

She looked back to Inuyasha, and checked his chest again, almost startled to find it bare. She'd been looking at it constantly since they put him to rest, but this was the first time she'd actually taken notice to the firmness and depth of it.

She remembered during the very unpleasant experience of trying to make Inuyasha throw up, how he'd kept pushing the spoon out of his mouth, and turning his head away. Eventually, they were able to get him to throw up some questionable liquid, and kept at it until they were satisfied that he was Sawotabi free. He'd gotten some of the stuff on his shirt and sweats, so Miroku took them off him which explained why he was topless.

Kagome avoided going down the hentai road of her thoughts, and looked around his room. It was very ordinary with a bench-pressing station in one corner, a bookshelf in another, a wide closet with mirrors on the doors leaning against the wall facing his pretty _Ginormous_ bed … and his _Ginormous _bed with two nightstands on either side. Those were the basic furnishings of his room. The set lighting was very dim, but there was an adjuster by the door that Kagome imagined he didn't often toy with. He also had beige carpet hugging the floors.

Sinking her tows into the softness, Kagome couldn't help but think it could get very cozy here.

*****

Holy shit, what the fuck was happening?

He felt as if he were suffocating, like a thick pillow was being heavily pressed onto his face, effectively clogging his nose, ears, and squeezing his lids shut.

This utterly defenseless, _weak, _and unfortunately familiarfeeling only meant one thing; he was human.

_Ah, shit_

But that couldn't be right. That bitch happened like two weeks ago, there was no way that tonight was the night of the new moon, already.

Okay, seriously, what the _fuck_ was happening?

Inuyasha managed to detangle his thick, slick lashes enough to pry his eyes open. He groaned a pathetically humanized sound as light—despite being low—blinded him for a minute. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he saw her and then it clicked.

She was staring intently at him as she sat on his bed, beside him; her hair was in a sloppy bun and her petite frame was dressed in short pink pajama shorts with a matching camisole. She was chewing softly on her bottom lip. Radiant, sexy… of course.

He was dreaming.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd dreamt of himself as human, if ever, but it was of no consequence. Kagome was with him, there was no need to ask for anything else.

She gasped a little noticing that he was watching her, and he smirked. Yeah, he smirked, because earlier today he decided that he might as well enjoy these dreams since he'd never come close to the real thing. So what if it was perverse and disgusting. She was his mate. No one had more right than him to fantasize about fucking her.

_Keh, scratch that, _he thought, No one else had _any_ right.

She smiled. "Hey" Her voice was filled with relief, oddly enough, and he could swear he saw her eyes mist over.

He reached for her, and his hand lightly brushed her cheek. He was a little taken aback when she blushed. His dream Kagome's were usually bold and only flushed after he thoroughly screwed their brains dead. But he had to admit, he liked that this one was blushing, it made her more authentic.

"Hey" he replied, and continued to stare at her with a look he knew made the _real_ Kagome blush. It worked on this phantom, too.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently, turning away from his hand.

He shrugged, odd question.

"I-I should go call the others--" he grabbed her wrist before she could rise off the side of his bed. She inhaled sharply. He smirked, again, like a cocky bastard.

_Just _like his Kagome.

"No, you should stay _right_ here." He said.

She didn't answer, or maybe she couldn't. He full out smiled, and sat up in his bed. He actually hadn't realized that they were in _his _room, until now. His sheet fell down to his waist, exposing his naked chest to her.

She looked away quickly, her gaze fixed on where his hand scolded her wrist.

She licked her lips, he groaned involuntarily.

And then her head spun to the direction of the uncharacteristic sound, and her eyes widened comically as her throat visibly closed.

"Come here" was all the warning her gave before he yanked her body close.

The pull was meant to bring her into a straddle across him, but at the last minute she stabilized herself enough to have her land on her knees beside his hip. Her hands locked onto his shoulders, gripping lightly as he was still sitting up.

"Inuyasha" she breathed, her voice quivering.

He liked that sound, attached with his name. He liked it a_ lot._

Almost violently, he grasped the back of one ripe thigh, and fixed her into the position he'd intended. The flesh there was so, so _hot_, hotter than any other dream flesh he'd ever felt. This dream was quickly becoming his favorite.

His dull-tipped hands found solace on her waist and he yanked her down, hard, grinding her into his arousal. The sensation was… _orgasmic_. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he were awake.

Her eyes rolled back, and the choke from her lips was inaudible.

He grinned, his eyes watching the emotions play across her face with an almost sick pleasure as he continued to slowly dry-hump her, adding force to every upward roll of his hips and flattening her against his chest. Her hands clenched his shoulders tightly with every thrust.

"That's right, baby" he rasped, the best he could do with his human voice-box.

Her lids were slipping shut when his lips latched on greedily to her pale neck, and one hand held her head close—needless to say those clear blue pearls shot open wide with the added sensuous assault.

His tongue laved at her neck, nipping and sucking, almost simultaneously. His ever-growing erection grinded bluntly into her poorly covered core, and her breaths were coming in quicker with every thrust and bite. Desperately, her hands fisted in his sheets.

It was so good; her taste, what little of her he could smell, the heat that deliciously seared him, it was so fucking intense. The most stimulating dream, _ever._

His hand massaged and played at her hips before tugging her camisole up and up. Softly butting his head into her chest so he could look down, he tugged eagerly upon the cotton, exposing her creamy middle to him. The material was just under her breast when he noticed, level with her belly button, but at her right side, was a tan-colored birth mark, shaped kind of like a four-leaf clover.

He smiled; that was kind of adorable. Fleetingly, he thought that this Kagome should probably be named since she was already by far, his favorite. _The Kagome of Luck_, he thought. It was kind of cheesy, but he figured he'd think of a more proper name when he wasn't so preoccupied, and he would definitely keep a look-out for this birth mark on the next Kagome's to come.

Okay, enough of that, back to her.

Inuyasha grasped the small of her back, earning the satisfaction of a harder grind and a flustered mate.

And The Kagome of Luck squealed, but not blissfully. She squealed as she pressed her hands flat against his bare chest, pushing away.

"S-Stop, Inuyasha" Her voice was anything but stable.

He smirked, liking her more and more every minute. So she was going to be a tease, too? He resisted the urge to chuckle. He had no problem going after what he wanted—in his dreams of course—even if he had to resort to chasing her down. The thought fed his already engorged cock, and if the way she shuddered was any indication, he would say she felt it.

She bit her lip, trying to stifle an uncontrollable moan. He truly, desperately wanted to kiss her. The Kagome of Luck.

His eyes locked on her pouty petals, and she read his thoughts as clearly as if he'd spoken them. The intent was obvious. He leaned, she pushed him again.

"Inuyasha, what are you thinking?" she asked breathless, and she sounded honestly confused.

"What we both want, what we both need, Kagome of Luck" he said with a chuckle.

Her brows furrowed, her head stuck out adorably in confusion. He shook his head a little; he didn't want to talk anymore. He leaned again, but slower this time, fearing she might jump up and remove the comfortable weight settled against his member.

"You _don't_ want this" he heard her whisper, her voice was sad. He leaned back. He didn't want her sad.

Why was she sad in his dreams? She was never supposed to be sad.

And then, at the exact moment that he began to doubt this 'dream', his bedroom door opened to allow his friends inside as if to settle his confusion.

Sango came in first and froze mid step, her fiancée stumbling right into her back.

Both he and Kagome must have gotten whiplash upon seeing their wide-eyed friends, and his soft, warm, mate was scrambling off his lap as quick as her legs would scurry, whilst tugging urgently at the camisole that would not quite cover enough for her.

The hanyou shifted uncomfortably; his thin sheet was less than sufficient covering of the hard-on he sported. However, that was the lesser of his worries.

That. Wasn't. A _Fucking_. Dream!?

He looked from Kagome to his friends, then back again a few times before he allowed himself to swallow the shameful pill that was his reality. His hands shook, restlessly, as silence ensued. What was there to say, really?

Then Myouga came, gently pushing past the couple and unwittingly bringing them all out of their varying degrees of mortification.

"Inuyasha, you're up so soon."

The hanyou just nodded, and he finally put things into perspective. Questions that he should have asked upon waking were finally brought to attention in that muffled brain of his. Why _had _he been asleep in the first place if he specifically remembered leaving his room? He remembered his desperation to see Kagome's face before he allowed himself to sleep, and though he couldn't really feel the hunger, he knew he needed to get something in his stomach before the day was over with. So he'd gone to dinner, then something…. something happened.

"What the hell happened?" he asked. "And why the fuck am I human?" he glanced at his thin nails in disgust.

They all looked hesitant to answer him at first, but then Miroku stepped forward. "I am to blame for that, Inuyasha." He said solemnly, earning him a raised black brow.

Sango came and wrapped a comforting hand around the Houshi's elbow. Miroku sighed heavily when she did this.

"I caught fish for dinner, and they were Sawotabi, and like a _fool _I'd somehow forgotten that they could be dangerous to youkai, and hanyou. I swear if I would have put a little thought in it, I would have realized my mistake before it was too late. I'm sorry, even though I know what I've done is unforgivable. You could be dead right now and it would be _completely_ my fault."

Miroku grit his teeth in an uncharacteristic show of severity. The Houshi was almost always gleeful, with a constant crease in the corner of his laughing eyes. It was upsetting to see him so out of character.

"Keh, well I ain't dead, am I?" Inuyasha said. Miroku looked up with hopeful eyes. Inuyasha rolled his.

"Look, you were stupid, I ain't gunna argue on that one. Seriously Miroku, how could you forget about the fucking Sawotabi? We haven't been away from civilization _that_ long, have we?" Sango smiled at him, almost proudly. He shrugged, finishing his monologue, "It ain't unforgivable" he resisted the urge to say _compared to the shit I've gotten you into_. "But anyway, we still haven't answered the most important question. Why am I as ugly as the rest of you?"

"I believe you should be asking why you're still breathing, you moron." Sango said, still clinging to a shameful monk.

Inuyasha shrugged again, "Are you going to answer either question?"

They all looked to Kagome who was hanging her head low, refusing to meet his eyes. They all waited for her to speak and it almost seemed like an eternity had passed before she raised her head, and cleared her throat.

"I purified you so that the toxin would be harmless." She explained.

"Kagome is a miko, Inuyasha, she saved your life. If we didn't have her here, who knows what might have happened." Myouga said, almost admirably.

_Miko…_It was a distant word that he hadn't realized, until now, he'd purposefully been avoiding. _Just like __**her**_**. **

"I just wanted to help in any way that I could." She said lamely.

"You did more than help, Kagome. We owe you for Inuyasha's life, something we probably won't ever be able to make up for." Miroku said.

"Please… don't. I'm just glad everything turned out okay."

They were making her uncomfortable, that was obvious, and Inuyasha really didn't like that.

"So, how long am I supposed to be stuck like this?" he asked, changing topic.

They looked to her again, and she shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, I honestly don't know. I haven't had much training with my powers, so it probably won't last for long; I doubt I'm that strong."

"Well, I guess I can't really complain about that, now can I?" Inuyasha groaned softly.

"Not unless you want to be slapped," Sango hissed, "Speaking of which, you've yet to thank Kagome yourself"

He didn't turn to the girl in question; direct eye contact with her was the last thing he could bear. There was a small silence before her voice broke through it, shyly.

"That's unnecessary, Sango. It really is. I think I'm going to go have that shower and be off to bed." Kagome said quickly, and rushed for the door, but before exiting her eyes scanned the room. "Goodnight, everyone"

Her gaze settled on his for last, and even his pathetic eyes could detect the slight slope at the corners of her lips, and the heartbreaking flooding of his mates beautiful blue eyes.

The door clicked shut, and then he was off the bed in a flash, surprising even himself. He looked down at himself, wondering why in the hell he was only wearing boxers, before he took off after her, leaving behind his confused companions.

Once he was out the door, he closed it behind him hoping it would keep the rest of them inside. Kagome was walking quickly down the hallway, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. She looked back at him with a deep frown on her face, and then turned away with even quicker steps.

Inuyasha had no idea what he planned to do, but his entire being roared in protest at the thought of letting her sleep with that expression on her face. He'd have to explain himself somehow, make her believe that he wasn't the asshole that he knew he truly was. He followed behind, his bare feet thudding quickly against the wooden floors.

Kagome kept going, pretending that she was unaware of him. He would keep going as long as she did, he unconsciously swore to himself. He wouldn't stop until she did.

She suddenly came to a halt with clenched fists by her sides. She spun on him with bright angry eyes, and a trembling lip.

"What, Inuyasha?" she demanded. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't prepared to face her anger.

He found himself moving closer to her, and then he was before her, the tips of their toes almost touching.

His eyes were deep with shame, and he didn't want her to see them. He looked down and muttered the only thing he could think of.

"I'm sorry"

She exhaled a cry that was a knife to his ears.

"I'm so sorry" he repeated. A mate's cry was wounding to the soul.

She shook her head, "I… I _knew_ you would be."

He looked to see her frowning at the ground, her eyes held much regret.

"Why" she whispered, almost to herself.

He inhaled deeply, trying to find the right words.

He was taking a little too long for her.

"Why did you do that, Inuyasha? Why did you touch me like that when you knew you didn't mean it, and you _knew_ how I felt? Were you trying to hurt me?" she asked, and her breath was almost embarrassingly erratic. Her shoulders shook, and against his better judgment, he took hold of each of them in his sturdy hands.

She might have attempted to break his hold, but he couldn't tell because the effort was so weak. His lips were still moving wordlessly while he shook his head.

"…So sorry, Kagome" he eventually got out. "I just… can't give you what you want from me."

She shook her head, "Inuyasha, you have no idea what I want" He stared at her imploringly so she continued, "All I've really wanted since being here was to be around you, how close was always up to you. But you keep finding ways to push me away, and I don't know why. When you told me you just wanted to be friends, it hurt but I was willing to fill the position, just to be near you, but since then you haven't really been treating me like one. Every time we get close, you have to find some way to… _ruin_ it, and that's lead me to one conclusion"

She paused to take a step forward, and wrap her arms around his naked waist. "Inuyasha" she breathed, "You want to be with me too, don't you?"

He couldn't speak. She was right, of course she was.

She raised her head off his chest, her clear eyes gazing at him and daring him to do what they both wanted more than anything at that moment.

Unable to resist any longer, he lowered his head, bracing for the feel of her lips against his.

It never came.

Those lips settled on his cheek instead. "But you're not ready" she finished sadly. "And it's _okay_. You don't have to choose between being with me, and not having me at all, Inuyasha. I'm here, however you want me to be, I'm here."

She settled back against him. His arms lay limply by his sides as he grasped what she'd said.

Then his eyes squeezed shut, and he crushed her to his body. His nose nuzzled softly into her neck, and he felt nothing but gratefulness to her. Finally, he felt as if he understood everything; Kagome, and himself. At that moment, he was relieved.

Kagome wasn't trying to push herself on him. She was never demanding that he own up to his feelings for her; she was just there, happy, infuriating, and comforting. He'd wasted so much time coming up with ways to avoid her, to make her angry with him, to kill her feelings for him, but it was pointless.

With mates, there is never a way.

But he now knew that this didn't mean he had to lose her warmth by his side. Kagome was making it so that he could have her near, without committing to her. It was an act so selfless, and so painful on her part, that he squeezed her tighter in apology for what she would have to endure.

He had no other choice, Kagome chose to be his friend and bear the consequences of his shattered heart. He was too selfish to demand that she stay away for the remainder of her trip, and she was too _not _to keep her distance.

Inuyasha didn't know what to expect of their revelation, things could go either way. But Kagome was his friend now, for real this time. He wasn't going to ignore her every time she accidentally turned him on, he wasn't going to insult her generosity the next time she offered him breakfast, and he wasn't going to lock himself in a room all day the next time he yearned to see her face.

He was taking a great leap, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Inuyasha held his mate tighter.

*****

Sorry that soon wasn't as soon as I thought it would be. This was probably the longest chapter, and I hope you guys didn't get bored in the middle =]

R&R please, and tons of gratitude to the amazing reviewers that review me _every time_. I never, ever get tired of hearing from you guys, so please keep at it ;]


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

An hour passed, and the yacht settled back to normal after the anticlimactic night. The couple and Myouga had gone to bed, physically and emotionally drained. Kagome had taken her shower, and Inuyasha went and got dressed as if it were morning time.

As he donned a gray t-shirt, he wondered how he'd even gotten himself in this predicament. He should have smelt the stinking fish and recognized it before taking a bite. Then he realized that Kagome was all he knew, she _was_ his frame of mind, when he'd gone to dinner. He was distracted, and he too was at fault for letting his love-sick dilemmas get in the way.

"Can I _please _have some of _my _ice cream, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, irritated.

Kagome frowned down at the tub of Chocolate chocolate-chip Rocky Road ice cream in her hands, before grudgingly sliding it across the peninsula to where the hanyou sat opposite her.

"Greedy wench" he muttered, taking the spoon from her hands, too, and helping himself to a scoop.

"You're not even supposed to like chocolate, _dog_"

He glared at her, offended "Just for that, you can't have any more"

Her jaw dropped, "No" she whined softly.

He grinned and shook his head.

"But I take it back" she pleaded, noticing how close to empty the gallon was becoming. Inuyasha purposefully took a big scoop and forced it into his mouth. He was satisfied when Kagome's eyes bugged out of her head, and she rose out of her stool as if she were going to pry the utensil out of his hands.

His triumph was short lived when he swallowed it all down and was punished with severe brain-freeze.

"Shit!" he yelped, grabbing his temples.

Kagome was cackling at him. "Serves you right" and she slid the ice cream back to herself. After a few moments with no alleviation, Kagome took pity on him. "Try sticking your thumb up the roof of your mouth."

He did as she suggested, and it did help a little, but he wasn't about to go thanking her when the bitch was just making fun of him.

"Better?"

"Keh"

She laughed. "I'll leave you some, I promise."

"Sure you will" her eyes twinkled mischievously at him, "Aren't you tired, it's almost eleven?"

Kagome shrugged, "You'd think so, but I feel wide awake. How about you, you should be out cold as a human."

"Nope, I was in bed all day today, remember" he reminded her.

She nodded, of course she remembered. It certainly wasn't the most pleasant day she'd ever had. She played with her spoon idly before asking.

"Was something bothering you?"

"No, it was just more of my being stupid, trying to avoid you and stuff" he explained, easily.

She giggled "Oh" she continued eating away at her dessert.

"Do you hear that?" he asked suddenly.

She listened carefully. She heard nothing, and shook her head. "What" she whispered.

"Silence. Miroku and Sango have taken a night off." His voice was relieved.

Kagome laughed, "Is it really _that _rare?" she asked incredulously.

"You have no idea."

"Well, it was a long night. You can't blame them for not being in the mood."

"Oh please, the night I brought you here, I'd been missing the whole day. Instead of staying up and worrying about me, they were fucking like the rabbits they are."

Kagome gasped, amused. "Well, maybe they were just trying to keep themselves awake for when you did come."

"Keh, if that were true, then the worry should have been enough"

Kagome assented to his point, "That's true, but you know they love you"

He ignored her when something else caught his attention. "Oi! What happened to leaving me some?"

Kagome looked down at the empty ice cream container. "Oopsie" she said, sheepishly, and then swallowed the last spoonful quickly.

Inuyasha sucked his teeth childishly, "I didn't even get that much"

"But I saw another one in the freezer" Kagome reasoned, feeling slightly guilty.

"That one doesn't have any chocolate chips" Inuyasha said irately.

Kagome pouted, "Oh, sorry. I didn't even realize I was finishing it."

He grabbed the carton from her hands, threw the dirty spoon in the sink and tossed the hollow box into the garbage can.

"Liar"

Kagome looked shocked at his accusation for a minute, but he met her gaze squarely, daring her to claim otherwise. She sighed.

"Okay, I did notice." She admitted.

"I know"

"Sorry" she repeated in a small voice.

He shook his head, "Fine"

She smiled, satisfied. "So what do you want to do now?"

He hesitated at first, like he was about to object to doing anything with her, but then he just shrugged. "Not much to do but watch TV until your ass falls asleep."

Her eyebrows met, "What makes you think I'll be the one to fall asleep first?" she asked.

"Trust me bitch, it'll be you"

She scoffed, "Well, I bet that you'll fall asleep first. Your human body needs rest more than mine does."

He chuckled, "Okay, what do you bet?"

She was taken back, "We have to actually bet something?"

"Makes it more fun, what are your terms?"

Kagome looked thoughtful, "I'll have to put some thought into this"

"Well, I already know what I want" he said grinning, "If you fall asleep first, you have to make me pancakes every morning"

Kagome smiled, touched, "You like my pancakes?"

H nodded, a little flustered "They're decent"

Her face faltered, but the smile remained, "Ha Ha" she mocked, "Okay, I've decided. If I win, we switch rooms. I get to sleep in your room, on that huge comfy bed, and you sleep on the couch."

He looked ready to protest, but Kagome beat him to it. "That's my only term, take it or leave it Inuyasha, but I thought you'd be more confident in your assessment."

Then she started clucking chicken noises at him, and he agreed, angrily muttering that he most certainly was _not _a chicken.

Inuyasha lead the way out of the Kitchenette area of the room, but Kagome didn't follow, she was rummaging through the fridge.

"Damn it wench, haven't you eaten enough. I don't think your curves could afford another bite." he called as he switched the television on.

Out of nowhere came a flying coaster, soaring dangerously close to where his left doggy ear would have been had he been hanyou.

He chuckled, "Missed!"

The fridge door slammed closed. He turned to see Kagome glaring at him with a bag of Italian bread caught between her teeth, lettuce, onions and tomato in one arm, and sliced turkey and mozzarella cheese in the other. She set them all down on the counter before going back to the fridge and pulling out all sorts of condiments.

"This isn't for _me_, baka, it's for you. I didn't see a mini-fridge in your room, so I know you haven't eaten anything all day."

His heart skipped a beat. If she kept doing things like this for him, he didn't know how he was going to keep distinguishing his mate Kagome, from his friend Kagome.

He wasn't going to refuse her, though. That's what that whole scene in the hallway had been about, he wasn't moving backward anymore.

"Thanks" he said, and there was comfortable silence as she made him a sandwich and he flipped through boring channels.

When she was finished, he heard her pack the left-over's back up and wash her hands, before she flopped down beside him, presenting the sub on a dinner plate.

It was neat and tidy, looking just about ready for a Subway's photo-shoot.

He devoured it. She was positively glowing, so pleased with his reaction to her simple snack. _Her_ reaction to _his_ reaction nearly made him choke with laughter. How in the hell was she capable of pulling so many gleeful sounds out of him?

The answer was obvious.

When he was finished, she shoved a cold Pepsi into his hands that he hadn't even remembered her bringing, but he downed it gratefully. His tummy was far from full, but he was sated for the time being.

"Good?" she asked, though the answer was blaringly obvious. But she wanted to hear him say it.

"Damn good"

Her smile was worth it.

"So what are we watching?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Nothing's on"

She took the remote from the table and hit the guide button to search quicker.

"Oh!" she squealed excitedly, "There's a horror movie marathon starting in thirty minutes"

There was a shock; Kagome _liked_ horror movies. She looked more like the run-and-take-cover type to him. Wasn't that like a petite-beautiful girl quality?

"And it's good ones too" she continued, "The _Ju-on_ movies are first."

He scoffed, "You call those good? They all sucked even worse than the American versions"

She giggled, "Well there's more afterward, but I predict you'll be knocked out by then." He rolled his eyes, "It'll give _Marebito_, _Kairo_, and _both_ _Ringu_ movies. Whoa, there's a lot."

"That's why they call it a _marathon_, Kagome"

"I mean it's long, even for a marathon, ass. The last movie ends at ten in the morning."

"Well, I can't wait to see them" he declared.

"Keh" she mocked, "On what, the DVR?"

He glared at her. "You no longer have permission to _'Keh'_. You can't even say it right."

"_Keh _isn't even a word, so there can't be a right or wrong way to say it" she said defiantly.

"Well, you sure as hell don't do it like me, and isn't that what you're aiming for?"

"Maybe not" she said, "If you don't like how I imitate you, then I'll declare this my own, personal, _Keh_"

"Your 'own and personal' will just sound like a terrible imitation of the original to anyone with ears."

Kagome glowered at him, and then rolled her eyes. "My _Keh _is perfect, just the way it is"

"Keep telling yourself that"

Kagome laughed at the ridiculousness of their conversation. It seemed that they could turn anything into an argument, and rather than infuriate her, it gave her a sense of comfort whenever she was with him, made her feel at ease in his presence.

Still, she held a desire to be able to speak freely about all things with him. Not just the silly, but the serious as well.

There was nothing to lose, Kagome realized. She'd be leaving in a few days, what would it hurt to ask questions of him when she would soon be a distant memory in his mind.

"Inuyasha, I'm really curious about you." She started, and when he visibly went rigid, she rushed to assure him. "I mean, you don't have to tell me anything, only what you're comfortable with"

He exhaled exasperatedly, and sat back in the couch, keeping his eyes on the TV. "What are you curious about?"

_Everything_ she wanted to say. She shrugged instead, "I don't know that much about you guys, I almost feel lost. I'd like to though, I want to remember you all when I'm gone. You could ask me anything as well."

Then she shut her mouth, and remembered that they weren't the only ones keeping secrets. She could've whacked herself right upside the head. It wasn't them knowing that she was an orphan that scared her, it was them knowing that she'd lied to their faces. If anything, she wished she would have been honest from the very beginning; told them that she had no home or family out looking for her, even if she thought they were trying to do her harm. It was just a great fear Kagome had, she being a person who rarely fibbed. To be caught in a lie was far too petrifying a situation for her to face.

"Alright" he said, looking rather interested in whatever this resulted in, "Let's start simple. What's your favorite color?"

Kagome breathed, "Green, and yours?"

"Red and black" he answered quickly, "How long were you with Kouga?"

Kagome could see trepidation flood his face as soon as the words left his mouth. It would appear to be a touchy subject for her, and perhaps he was embarrassed to have brought it up. However, somehow, the thought of Kouga didn't bring on such a great deal of pain. It should, considering she'd been with him for an entire year, and the end of such a relationship should result in the ultimate heartbreak. She should be the bitter woman scorned, but she just couldn't will herself to feel any speck of sadness whenever she thought of his name. Anger, yes, but sadness no, and that anger was only for what he'd attempted to do to this hanyou who plagued her thoughts so.

She half expected him to take back the question and tell her she didn't need to answer, but he didn't.

To lighten his discomfort, she eyed him suspiciously. "Isn't it my turn to ask a question?"

"No, you asked what my favorite color was." He retaliated.

She looked playfully upset, "but that wasn't fair, it was your question first and asking you what yours was, was an automatic response"

"Yeah, a response that happened to be a question."

She smiled as she grudgingly accepted that he was right. "Okay then, I was with him for about a year and… four months."

He gaped at her, appallingly. "A…a _fucking _year"

She hesitated to answer, watching warily as his eyes blazed with a brilliance that put the sun to shame. His hands were clenching spasmodically, and his teeth were nearly audible in their rough grind. His breaths were coming in deep and quick, her discomfort ever-growing with each shaky inhale.

What was this reaction?

His eyes continued to glare at her, and they soon became distant, looking into something that wasn't there. She could only imagine what images he was creating for himself when the human turned hanyou started shaking in what could only be described as rage.

"Inuyasha" she couldn't be sure if sound had left her mouth. She was only certain when he looked at her, _really _looked at her and not past her. Slowly, he came down from whatever cloud of wrath he'd been floating on and he became the same man who'd been sitting by her a moment ago.

"Are you okay?" came her dumb reply.

He blinked a few times, and passed his undoubtedly sweaty palms over the loose pants he'd thrown on. He nodded.

"That's just" he paused, "a really long time"

Kagome just continued to stare at him, rather unsettled by his obvious discomfort at the relationship she had with Kouga; it was so violent, irrational, and bizarre. She shook her head, letting the moment pass and trying not to show that it had fazed her.

"It was" she said in a small voice.

"Do you still--" he cut himself off, seemingly unable to finish his sentence.

"It's my turn to ask a question" Kagome said as the silence grew uncomfortable. Then, since they were already on this topic, she figured she could ask a personal question of her own. "Inuyasha, have you ever been in love?"

He didn't speak for an insufferable amount of time.

Kagome didn't take back her question. He could choose not to answer, but if he decided to, then she definitely wanted to know.

"Yeah" he said, finally.

She just nodded, keeping silent when all she really wanted to do was ask a million more questions. With who? When? For how long? Was it serious? What happened? Why isn't she here? Do _you _still love her?

Do you hate me for asking you this? That was the last question she thought of, brought on by the distraught expression he suddenly sported. His mouth tightened in the smallest grimace, his mind, without a doubt, filling with images he had probably kept buried within his mind's deepest grave.

"I'm sorry; you didn't have to answer that"

He blinked at her, then shook his head, "I know that, wench" and he smiled a small smile at her. "That's the game, isn't it? But, now it's my turn, and I'm sure as hell going to make you squirm."

Kagome threw her head back, barely reigning control of her laughter as the mood lightened once again. "Bring it on" she dared.

Inuyasha gave her a look that clearly said she would regret those words in a minute.

"What kind of underwear are you wearing?"

She blanched, then flushed, then remembered how to breathe. She kept her eyes trained on anything but the smug man sitting across from her, who seemed to be unable to look at anything _but_ her.

She internally shook her head, he was toying with her. She knew it, and he knew it. He was expecting this of her; he expected the cherry red that would flood her face. Was she going to just sit here and give him the satisfaction of embarrassing her? Was she going to sit like a frightened rabbit while he laughed at her?

Hell No.

"A thong" she stated, keeping a bold face.

That choking sound was definitely from him.

She smirked. "A _red _thong"

And she wasn't lying. She was used to wearing thongs, so she wasn't too upset when she found that most of the underwear Sango bought _were_ thongs. The fact that it was red was merely coincidence, and it sure as hell was a lucky one, sure to give the hanyou a run for his money.

_Game, set, and match, Inuyasha_

Said temporary human shifted in his seat, uncomfortably.

"It's got a lacy front and two little bows on either-"

"Shut up, wench" he growled, the hint of a vein popping out of his forehead.

She bit her lips, stifling a giggle. "You're the one who asked"

He didn't answer.

She was enjoying this. "It's got a matching bra too"

Inuyasha groaned in obvious frustration as he gripped his luscious hair in both hands. "Stop. Talking."

"Or else what?" she teased.

"Or else I'll do something I'll regret."

Kagome's mirth suddenly took an awkward turn, and she quieted herself. Something he'd regret? Like what he did just an hour ago.

It was a mystery. Inuyasha was so sure of himself; he must've known that any sexual contact with her would've been a 'moment of regret'—for him at least. He had more self-control than to let himself just grab her like that. Then why'd he do it?

It was her turn. "Inuyasha, why did you… do what you did, earlier in your bedroom?"

She didn't expect his answer to come so quickly. "I thought I was dreaming."

Her eyebrows rose at that. "Why would you think you were dreaming?"

"One question at a time, wench"

She rolled her eyes, "fine"

"What are you going to do once you get to Okinawa?" he asked, and there was an unexplainable reluctance in his eyes, as if he dreaded to hear her answer.

She suddenly realized that it must be related to Kouga. Did he really think she would ever dare associate herself with him ever again? The thought was laughable. Wanting to reassure him, she answered with the first thing that came to mind.

"I think I'm going to stay there." She informed him. It was the decision she'd made yesterday, but having spoken it out loud brought with it a sense of conviction.

He looked stunned by her answer, his eyes bugging to Myouga size. "Stay? Just like that? What about your life in Tokyo? How are you going to support yourself, bitch? Have you ever even been in Okinawa, do you _know _your way around the damn place?"

And then she realized she'd just given herself away. But he was breaking the rules and that bought her a few precious moments to think something up.

"One question at a time" she reminded him.

"Fuck that, what are you thinking, Kagome? You can't just stay in a strange ass city all by yourself, you idiot. You think we can just leave you there?"

Wait a minute, what did he want from her, then? He was obviously opposed to both options; going back to Tokyo where Kouga is, or staying in a foreign city all by herself. What else was left, though? He was serious about this, and the concern was almost touching, but his volume was louder than necessary. She didn't take too kindly to that.

"That's my business, Inuyasha. Besides, I'm grown; I can take care of myself."

"Like hell you could."

She glowered at him, "Well lucky for me, this isn't a decision that you get to make"

"You wanna bet? I won't let you, even if I have to call up the police in Tokyo myself."

She stared at him quizzically, "the police?"

"Yeah, they're probably out shitting themselves looking for you"

Kagome shook her head, her volume significantly decreasing as her anger gave way to shame.

"They're not looking for me" she spoke. "Nobody is"

*****

"Hayashi-san, Kagome and I have decided to move in together" he said with enthusiasm.

"Oh, how marvelous, it's about time you two took that step in your relationship" the old man on the other side of the phone call expressed his genuine felicitations for the happy couple he'd known for nearly a year.

"I am glad you approve. Rest assured we will stop by and visit every chance we get." Kouga said in his most charming speech as he secured the black bag containing the body of Kagome's old uncle Toshii.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about visiting an old codger like me. You two just enjoy each other while you can. Life, after all, can be very short. Trust me, I know. Why, she was merely fifty-three when my sweet Chiyo passed."

Kouga rolled his eyes as the decrepit landlord rambled. He probably didn't realize this, but he'd told him this story over a hundred times.

"I know Hayashi-san; I will never take a moment for granted. I just called to let you know that last month's rent will be taken care of as usual, and the movers will be in Kagome's apartment by noon tomorrow, so tell Noriko to let them in." he interrupted.

"O-oh, alright" he said, suddenly less chipper at not being able to tell his life-tale.

Kouga hung up, forgoing valedictions.

"There, now no one will be suspicious as to where she is" he said, tossing the phone back to Lexy who caught it swiftly in her paw with her feline reflexes.

The bitch hadn't said as much, but he knew she was supposed to be keeping a close eye on him per Naraku's orders.

She just smiled brilliantly at him, her short legs swinging back and forth against the counter she was perched on, making her now strawberry red curls bounce with her. He held in a grimace, how the fuck old did she think she was, four?

"Now now, Kouga, why do you feel such contempt towards me? Your ill-will is tangible. We're on the same team here, aren't we?"

Filthy cunt! She was purposely goading him, trying to nitpick at his thoughts and force whatever intentions he may have to the forefront of his mind. Then he'd be nothing less than an open book to her, and she could rat him out to Naraku.

She detected the sudden doubling of his hostility and it brought her great mirth. She laughed, and hopped down, standing her full 5'0 height in her thick boots, before straightening out her strapless puffy black dress.

"I'll take care of that" she said, plucking the body bag from his hands, "You can busy yourself with bleaching the house"

Bleaching; the most unpleasant part of their job. His nose burned to think about it.

"Wait," he said, before she could leave. "What are we supposed to do now? The old man said he didn't know where she was, where do we go from here?"

Lexy shrugged her thin shoulders, her eyes roaming around the small Merrill, Oregon house a little too innocently.

"We'll report back to Naraku in a few hours, and he'll let us know what to do from there" she pivoted on the balls of her feet and made her way out the door.

Kouga growled beneath his breath before he scoured the house—with his leather gloves—for bleach.

Twenty minutes later, he felt safe enough to think to himself.

He had been too quick to assume that the mutt would bring Kagome to her uncle's house. It was still probable, but not the only possibility. They could drop her off anywhere, in which case he would be screwed. How could he hope to get her back when he hadn't the slightest clue as to where she could be? He didn't even know which direction the half-breed had gone in.

Naraku wouldn't give up searching for her either, and if they continued to turn up so empty handed, he was smart enough to hypothesize the situation, and assume that Inuyasha might have actually taken her.

By then, they would realize that their attempts had been a waste and he would be killed for being careless.

There was one last secret that the wolf held dear to him though, a secret that may be the only thing that can save his life.

Kouga walked out onto the back porch, cleansing his nose, as he stared off into the dark woods.

Not too far from there lived Sesshomaru, the elder brother of Inuyasha.

At once, the two despised each other. Sesshomaru was in absolute objection to his younger brother's double life, working for the likes of Naraku. Inuyasha had believed that his life held no promise of anything, that killing was the only way to prove his strength as a misunderstood half-breed.

What no one in the Ketsueki Kyoudai knew, however, was that over the years, the brothers' relationship had slowly patched itself up. He, himself, was the only one Inuyasha entrusted with the secret, back when they weren't bitter enemies. This sudden understanding and sensitivity was brought on by the new loves that both had found; Kikyou for Inuyasha, and Rin for Sesshomaru. They were far from loving toward each other—often insulting, and crude—but they had… an unspoken agreement to let bygones be bygones.

Kouga pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

Inuyasha leaving the Ketsueki Kyoudai had most likely brought the brothers even closer. With this knowledge, he knew that Inuyasha must visit his brother oftentimes.

If he timed himself correctly, he could find Inuyasha's little boat when it comes to the states, and get his Kagome back.

This was Kouga's only chance for savior, this was his last shred of hope, the only thing that kept him from slitting his own wrists in order to save himself from whatever torture Naraku would put him through before allowing him the mercy of death.

Once he had her back, he would take her to Naraku, and then he would ask for Kagome to join the Ketsueki Kyoudai. It would take convincing, but Naraku may find use of a miko to replace the one they'd lost. Both he and Kagome could be spared.

Why wouldn't Naraku accept her? Her talents could prove invaluable. Besides, he'd done it for Inuyasha.

*****

Happy Holidays!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Was it wrong that he didn't want to push her away? Maybe. Was it wrong that he felt the need to pull her impossibly closer? Probably. And was it wrong that he was caressing the skin at the small of her back, and nuzzling his nose deeply into her neck while she slept in his arms? Absolutely.

Did he care? At this point in time, not particularly.

Kagome had lost the bet at approximately 5:47 a.m, six minutes ago, and he had to admit, he didn't expect her to last that long. She'd put up quite the fight, and if he didn't want to relish this moment for as long as possible, he would be just as unconscious as she was. He fought against the drooping of his eyelids as he took another whiff of her hair, unsatisfied by what little of it he could smell. He could detect the subtle hints of the vanilla-bean shampoo she frequently used, but he couldn't smell her essence; her own unique, enticing scent was buried too deep for his human nose to detect. Who knew he'd find more reasons to hate this state?

He fought off a groan, not wanting to wake her. It was for that same reason that he didn't lick her sweet neck as if it were covered in the most succulent honey, as his instincts demanded he do.

He did, however, allow himself to lightly trace his nose along the line of her jaw, cuddling with her as only a lover should. Astoundingly, he didn't feel compelled to run to his room and bolt the doors. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if her confession to him was the reason why he suddenly couldn't stop touching her.

_Flashback_

"_They're not looking for me" she spoke. "Nobody is"_

_Inuyasha continued to stare at her, his expression asking her to elaborate. _

_She lowered her head and brought her bottom lip between her teeth, nervously. "I'm sorry" she mumbled in a meek voice._

_His eyes narrowed in confusion, "What the fuck for?" _

_She continued to worry her lip and when her eyes met his, he saw that they'd watered over, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Before he knew what he was doing, he was by her side, his hands coming up to rub what he hoped were soothing circles on her back and cheek. _

"_What's the matter, wench?" he asked as she was really starting to worry him. _

_Her fingers twirled together nervously on her lap as he waited for her to work herself up to telling him what was on her mind. _

_After a rather shaky inhale, she told him. _

"_I lied" she said, "to all of you" _

_And his heart nearly failed him, as all the worst possible implications of her words ran rampant throughout his mind. His hands fell from her body as if she'd damn near electrocuted him. He stood from the sofa, and glared at her. _

"_What the fuck did you do?" he nearly growled. "What are you hiding?" _

_She looked shocked by his outburst, her head shaking back and forth frantically. He immediately felt sick to his stomach, as the tears leaked free. It was then he realized, quite ashamedly, that even if she were deceiving him and his friends, even if she were putting all their lives in unspeakable danger, he couldn't hurt her, couldn't even hate her. She was his mate; there was no way he could do that, consciously. _

_He sat back down, but kept to himself._

"_Explain" was all he said. And explain she did._

_End Flashback_

He'd nearly pissed himself with relief when she finally got around to telling him. He'd been subconsciously afraid that she'd done something that would add to the dreaded list of reasons why they couldn't be together.

She'd been so sorry, so remorseful, that he'd taken her in his arms to halt the quivering in her shoulders. He quite honestly couldn't see any harm in what she'd done. In fact, just the opposite, she'd been damn smart to lie to them, and he told her so. She hadn't known them, they could have been the next Manson family, and she'd done the only logical thing to ensure her safety.

So she did have some sense of self-preservation. That thought was comforting… because soon she wouldn't have him, and she'd have to get along on her own somehow.

She told him that she'd had a little brother, a mother, and a grandfather, her father having died even before her younger sibling was born. She said it was in a fire that happened while she was away at camp. He hadn't lingered on the topic for too long, seeing as how mentioning the lives' she'd lost made her eyes swell with a sadness that—naturally—lingered even after over a decade. He saved her the trauma of having to relive such a painful memory since it would be of no consequence whether or not he knew of her past once they left her in Okinawa. The thought never failed to halt a beat of his heart.

After embracing her, she didn't seem to want to let go, so he kept an arm around her shoulders, and she kept one across his chest as they watched the damn movies.

As it turned out, Kagome wasn't as fearless as he'd assumed when it came to the 'horror' movies. She jumped and squealed every goddamn ten minutes, grabbing hold of him for dear life. He'd laughed at her, naturally, and threatened a number of times to leave her on her own in the dark, jokingly, just to hear her beg him to stay by her side. It was quite perverse, but he didn't care.

It was an entertaining night, filled with lots of smiles, a lot of which, admittedly, came from him. She was his other half so it didn't come as a surprise.

The couch was big enough so that they weren't necessarily lying on top of one another, but they couldn't have been any closer. It didn't bother him in the least, and not just because his cock wasn't embarrassing the shit out of him by acting up too much either. Well, it never really went limp where she was concerned, but the ache was just a constant nuisance which he'd learned to somewhat ignore. And plus, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be tortured by Kagome the seductress in his dreams since he was presently human.

Pros of being human: one; Cons of being human: a billion and counting.

It felt good and natural having her lay beside him—as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Kagome rubbed her cheek against his chest, suddenly, and the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard escaped her lips; his name, spoken in a half sigh/half moan, turning his semi to a hard-on. He shifted away from her, grudgingly. What wouldn't he do for the delicious friction of grinding into her at that moment?

The urge to squeeze her to him was overwhelming; like the feeling one gets after reuniting with a loved one after an unbearable separation.

He was going to miss her. So fucking much, it nearly paralyzed him with the misery. The thought of her without him, in a world filled with so much destruction and pain threatened to fracture his resolve to allow her to leave, filling him with silly notions that she might actually be better off _with_ him. Isolation was the last thing she needed, after all, since she'd already experienced too much of it at her young age.

He scoffed, tamping down on that hopeful flame, fighting the desire to feed it until it engulfed him completely. Kagome wasn't as naïve to the world as he'd made her out to be. She'd been hurt, she'd been scarred, and she knew what could happen to undeserving people because she, herself, was a perfect example. There was no doubt she could pull through without anyone's help. Without him.

He made a mental note to ask Myouga exactly how much longer he would be able to keep her. It had to be three, maybe four days tops if he were lucky; just a measly 90 or so hours.

He didn't want to think of the alternative to having her leave; it was almost too perfect if he'd allow himself to see it in its actuality. Kagome was not bound to any specific location, she didn't have people who would need her as desperately as he did, and he could think of no safer place for her to be, especially with the lingering ties she held with the Ketsueki Kyoudai, whether she knew of them or not.

If there was one thing Inuyasha knew it was that the Kyoudai never took kindly to witnesses, and though she may be safe since he figured Kouga must've been smart enough to forego mentioning her to Naraku, there was still a chance he hadn't; a chance which Inuyasha would rather die than see taken.

And the most crucial factor of all; Kagome was his mate. The deep, anguishing burden he'd imposed on himself would be non-existent if he had her by his side. All would be well within his heart because his mate's love would overshadow any speck of darkness he could ever possibly feel.

And that was the whole problem.

Why should he be so lucky? What right did he have to get off so easily and live a relatively happy life, when _hers_ had to end so suddenly, so prematurely through no fault of her own, and every fault of his?

He had absolutely no right.

Kagome would probably high-tail her pert ass off this boat so quick there'd be skid marks across the wooden planks, if she had any remote clue as to who he really was, the monster he'd truly been. She'd leave before the mate attraction wouldn't allow her to, and he'd find it bittersweet because finally there would be justice for Kikyou because he'd be as anguished and destroyed as humanly possible.

Perhaps that was the only way.

Sango would sure as hell want her to stay with them, mostly for his sake, and he had no idea how he could really turn her away if Kagome outright asked. Knowing Sango, she could probably convince her to do it, too.

Maybe unleashing the demons from his closet and showing her how truly wretched they were, would give her a reason to save face. Maybe, then, she would be smart.

How he prayed to _God_ she'd be smart. That she'd leave with no looks back and Kikyou could smile in her grave while his demon died inside, and he became a mass as hollow, dark, and deep as the abyss.

Almost like killing two birds with one stone; he could do that for them both. He'd be dead in every way, but the literal sense, avenging Kikyou, and Kagome would be saved from him.

There was a squelching in Inuyasha's chest as his heart played staccato rhythms against his ribs. He knew what he had to do, and he knew what lie ahead of him as surely as a prisoner making his way up the steps of a guillotine.

But right now… right now he had a few moments of precious peace with her. Right now, when she hadn't the slightest clue as to what raged in his head, he allowed himself to place feather light kisses across her face and at least pretend that things were simpler before he destroyed himself.

*****

It felt so good.

Sleeping should _not _feel nearly orgasmic, and she knew that in good consciousness, she shouldn't be this at ease. However, she was much too selfish to want to give up this feeling of utter contentment, so she fought against the strong pull of wakefulness. Of course, the effort only served to defeat her purposes, and she sighed one final time before craning her eyes open.

And then she finally acknowledged the soothing rumble—no… _purr_ that had kept her blissfully under for the better part of the night.

It came from beneath her.

From Inuyasha's chest.

His _naked _chest.

_Holy Shit_, it came from Inuyasha's naked chest which was _beneath_ her. Faint.

Reflexively, she tried to spring away from him, but apparently there were 2,000 pound steel beams clamped around her waist, making such a thing like moving downright impossible. She fought against his naked arms, knowing that this predicament might not bode well for the temporary human when he woke and noticed.

It was futile.

She sighed heavily and gently lay back against his chest. She took a whiff of his skin, stifling a moan while doing so. _Oh well,_ she thought snuggling closer, _I tried…_

She was dozing lightly when she saw a bright flash of white appear beneath her closed lids. She winced slightly at the intrusion, prepared to ignore it when it re-appeared followed by silent snickers.

Embarrassed, she opened her eyes and saw the other two occupants of the small yacht, crouched before them, snapping photos with a sleek digital camera. Her face flushed with horror at the exact same moment that her lulling purr morphed into the most foreboding snarl she had ever heard, and the steel beams across her back tensed in obvious frustration.

"What. The. Fuck!" he boomed, fixing murderous glares on each of the onlookers, and saving the most savage for the camera-wielder: Miroku.

Though she knew Inuyasha's blanketing himself around her was not really her doing, she felt just as guilty, and tried to slip from his clutch as discreetly as possible while he was otherwise involved eye-killing his friends.

She managed to wiggle down his muscular body a few good inches, and was almost home free, when he just slid her right back up again, not even gracing her with an explanatory look.

Okay, _why_ again did that seem to rouse those hyperactive butterflies in her belly?'

"Sorry, Inuyasha, but we could hardly pass up such a picture perfect moment. We do get so little of those" Miroku explained, quickly snapping another photo in their direction, taking them all by surprise.

"Motherfucker--" he protested, blinking the light from his still sleep-weary eyes.

"You guys looked too adorable. It was my idea, anyway, but you know Miroku's the better photographer." Sango added.

"Sango!" Kagome chastised.

She almost regretted speaking because Inuyasha released her immediately after, allowing her to reluctantly leave his warm embrace. They sat up beside each other with no small amount of awkwardness as they refused to lock gazes.

"You _baka's_ won't be complaining once you see how beautiful you looked together." She cooed.

Matching tomato heads—she and Inuyasha had matching tomato heads.

Sango smirked triumphantly before winking at her. "You both should get dressed, it's already one." She sashayed out the room with her fiancé.

Inuyasha put his face in his palms before almost violently raking his hands through his hair.

"Good morning" she mumbled.

He looked at her, and to her utter relief, he smiled. "Morning"

She smiled back, "What, uh, what happened to your um…" she trailed off and just pointed to his bare chest. He looked down, as if he didn't know what lie beneath his neck, and then looked back up quizzically.

"I… don't know"

She giggled, and stood up to stretch her arms over her head. He quite openly ogled her, his bright amber eyes hardening to topaz, so she relaxed her stance with only a minor reddening of her cheeks.

"Oh!" she said as she sat on her knees on the couch, perching her head over the top. She bent over to pick up the cloth that had caught her eye.

"Here it is" she exclaimed. She turned back to hand the gray t-shirt to him, and he took it with less than an ounce of interest in putting it back on.

"I must have taken it off in my sleep" he shook his head.

_Fortunately for me…_ she couldn't help but think, but quickly tossed those wicked thoughts away.

"I can't believe it's already one, I feel like we _just _went to sleep." She said, shaking her head. "I guess I'd better start making those pancakes, huh."

She couldn't help her tiny, dissatisfied pout. She'd really wanted to win that bet, and not just because she missed the exquisite softness a bed offered, but because she wanted to best him at something; showcase her resilience and strength. She knew that she must appear quite defenseless, and her barely 5'4 stature did nothing to help the matter, but her will was mighty, and that's what she wanted his main view of her to be, especially after telling him the truth last night.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so _open. _She hadn't told her story in a long while, not even Kouga knew much about it; he had never asked more than how they died. She doubted he even remembered she had a little brother. Not that it mattered, but this was yet another sign that she and Kouga were never meant to be.

Inuyasha, however, listened to her, that much she could tell. He even asked her questions, always staying clear of the ones that would push her too far over the edge, the ones that would be most painful to answer. And she just felt so liberating about it, so much so that it actually scared her. She was allowing him into her most painful memory, but she did it without the slightest bit of trepidation, which wasn't natural, was it? She shouldn't feel so willing to expose her vulnerabilities, but she did so nonetheless, and she didn't regret it. That _had_ to be wrong, on some level.

Her only fear—however irrational it may be—was that he'd find her weak somehow… _lacking_ in a way. Inuyasha concealed his pain, but it was barely undetectable, and quite noticeably monumental in size. Yet he still moved forward, he lived his life. To her, he was strength personified, and she wanted to be fit for him. She didn't want that major gap between their playing fields. And despite how good it felt to confess, she could just feel her podium shrinking twice as small as it was before. Was it apparent to him too?

He had a really pensive look over his face; an internal struggle was evidently raging in his head.

Inuyasha sighed, resolved, and his expression was blank; betraying nothing.

"You should, but you don't really have to seeing as how you won the bet."

"Me?" she asked after a pause, befuddled.

He nodded, and he again looked too sincere and resolute. "Yes, wench. You surprised? Me too"

She squinted, analyzing this information. "But, I was sure I saw your eyes when I fell asleep."

She heard her words only once they were out her mouth, and she flushed immediately. He smirked a heart-warming, earth shatteringly wicked smirk.

"Nah, you were probably just dreaming about them" he said coolly, and rose up off the couch to have a stretch of his own.

And she did the same thing he did to her; she admired. And then she saw it—the bulge that was his morning wood. She immediately snapped her focus off that tempting lump of flesh, hoping he hadn't caught her.

"S-s-so" she stammered, "your room is mine"

"For the time being" he assented.

"I'm going to enjoy it" She smiled.

He chuckled, and then shook his head as he leant over her to reach her ear.

She nearly twitched as every nerve ending stood at attention, a jolt of electricity shooting up her spine and spiraling throughout her body. Like magnets, she felt a pull to be near him, and the closer he got, the harder she fought to keep to herself.

"I think you'd enjoy it much more if I were in it with you, but that wasn't the term of the bet." He shrugged.

_Screw the terms!_

"By the way" he added, as he inched away from her, "You look sexy when you sleep"

He strode out of the living room, leaving her with a mushy brain, and a tied tongue. When her heart rate settled to an acceptable level, she allowed herself to fall against the couch.

_Holy hell… I am wetter than a fish._

***********

I know that I am positively evil, and should be aborted. I apologize profusely and the only and very lame excuse that I have is that I am being _swamped_ (SWAMPED I tell you) with work by ass-faced professors.

I can give you all my solemn promise that I shall not abandon this story, and that I am not experiencing writers block because I certainly _do_ have a plan for this fic. Just bear with me, please, and I hope that you all continue to read and review AA. I cannot promise an update date because I just don't know at this point, but I assure you all that they will come as long as I am breathing.

Thank you to those of you who wait for me, I appreciate it with my whole heart.

Crazykiss

BTW- If you haven't noticed, we are approaching the first major climax of the story, get thee prepared ^_^


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